The Meeting Of The Worlds
by Poyntz
Summary: The meeting of the world is the story of me and my best friend landing accidentally in the magical world of J.K. Rowling. Full Summary and explanation on my profile. I started to write this in 2004, so, yes, the first few chapters need reviewing...
1. Intro

"Will you stop it!" Exclaimed Van.

"Wha?" Said Steph. She was holding a pencil, the pointy end aiming dangerously to Van's rib cage, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Why do you keep bugging me like that!" She exclaimed again.

"Well, you so easily get mad!" Steph answered.

The teacher looked around, darting both girls of his emotionless eyes. They both stuck their nose back in their math book. Van looked at Steph and, being careful not to speak to loud, "Erg! I hate this substitute teacher! Were not even allowed to talk with him here!"

"Well, Van, not to ruin your moment, but we weren't exactly just talking..." And with that Steph jagged the pencil in Van's side.

"OUCH!" She exclaimed.

"Ladies! Please get back to your work!" The teacher said.

Steph gave Van a disgusting look and got back to working, well, more like started her work. The minutes passed slowly, but finally the 3rd period got to its end.

Next period was psychology... After 75 LONG minutes of taking notes, this period to ended.

"Finally!" Van said, "5 more minutes and I would of broken something!"

"Sure Van..." sighed Steph.

"What?" Van asked.

"You have as much chance breaking something _on purpose_ as I have of killing a horse!" She laughed.

"What do you mean by—" Van's words got cut of as she stepped on a lonely pen lying on the floor. With a loud bang, Van landed square on her bum.

"S—"

"SHU UP!" Van exclaimed as Steph was preparing to say something. She got up on shaky legs, and both girls burst in laugher.

"Anyway, Ill see ya at the library tonight." Steph said, heading for her bus.

"Yea! Later!" Answered Van.

Later that night, the girls entered the library chatting; they headed to their favorite book section, fantasy, of course. As Van scanned the bookshelf for a good reading, she stumbled across a little black book. "_The Meeting Of The World _" it was called.

"An other book like that! They always do books about worlds meeting, I need something different." And with that she shoved it back somewhere in the shelf.

"Hey hey hey! Waite a minute!" Steph said. She fumbled the shelf and pulled the little black book back out. Van didn't notice, but as she placed back in, the book had opened a bit, and Steph had seen that the book was blank.

"This is highly intriguing." Steph said, in a very mater-of-fact way. She shifted through the book over and over, not knowing what to do with it. She opened the book to the first page and had a gasp of horror as she read the newly appeared words.

In the library, the two girls fumbled thorough shelves and shelves of book, hoping to find a good one, when suddenly, Steph found the book that would change her and her friend's life forever...

She screamed and threw the book at the floor. Van, intrigued, picked up the book herself.

After a scream, Steph threw the book at the floor, and van came to pick it up...

"Well, he he, we... Err..." She said with a nervous laugh.

"Well what! What do we do! I've never bin so scared!" Steph exclaimed in a panicky voice, "lets...Lets just leave it here an leave."

And with that, she spun around a headed for the exit.

"Wait!" Van said, "I just have to take out a book for my little brother first."

"Ok, but hurry" Steph answered, throwing a nervous glance at the black book, laying on the table."

They walked over to the kid section. Van fumbled through the kids' book. She froze.

"S-s-Steph..." she called.

As Steph got closer, she gasped in horror, Van was holding the little black book in her hands. They ran to the table were she had left the book. It wasn't there anymore. They screamed and Van threw the book in the air. It was like in movies, the time seamed to have slowed down, the book twirled in the air, seemingly forever. The room started to twirl around to around them until they couldn't take it anymore. They both fell, never touching the floor, the book falling with them...


	2. Chapter 1

"Were are we?" Asked Van, getting up.

"I have no idea...Oh! Lets ask these girls directions!" Exclaimed Steph.

"Excuse me!" Said Van, "we need..." She broke off. Seeing the girls clothing, they could see that they weren't at home. They whore little gray skirts, with long, white, stocks. They had a white blouse covered with a whole shirt a black cape.

"Euh...You needs what?" Asked one of the two.

"We...Euh, need to...Were are we?" Finished Van.

"Well, were at Hogwarts of course! Did you practice the amnesia spell that Mr. Flitwick gave us yester- Waite, hold the phone! Who are you?"

"I'm Stephanie," said Steph, "and this is my friend, Vanessa"

"Oh, Hi." Said the other girl, "We must be from different houses, we've never seen you before, I'm Pavartie, and this is my sister Padma." Padma smiled politely.

"Well, we absolutely must get going, nice meting you!" She said.

When the two girls left, Van and Steph were in a state of shock. And suddenly Steph just exploded.

"HOGWARTS!!! That means magic! And everyone in that magic world, that..." She gave a very mice like squeak, "Ronald!"

She picked up the book, and kissed it. "Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!!!"

"That's all very nice," interrupted Van, "but the question...How are we getting back?"

"Who cares!" Said Steph, with a romantic smile on her face.

Van rolled her eyes and said,

"We have to find someone who can help us-" She looked around, and seeing Pavartie and Padma's figure walking away, she exclaimed "Excuse me!"

The two girls stopped and looked around. Van and Steph ran up to them.

"Would it be possible to get instruction to Dumbledor's office?" She finished.

"You don't know where it is?" Padma said, with intrigued eyes.

"Well, we never really had, euh, to use it..." Steph said.

"Well, fallow us," said Pavartie, "where we need to go, we have to go pass it anyway."

"Oh, thanks a lot! Its means a lot to us!" Said Van.

"If you say so..." Added Padma.

They fallowed the two girls along a trail. They turned a corner, and the magnificent outlines of the castle could be seen in the distance. Van covered her mouth in disbelief while Steph, lets just say she didn't look like she was there. As they were closing in on the school, encounters of fellow students were more and more frequent. With very encounter, Steph looked at the person in question with searching eyes, and when that person wasn't who she was expected, she gave them murderous looks.

They entered the immense cedar door of the castle. The girls gasped in surprise. The place was even more beautiful than anything that they ever imagined. Shining armor decorated the hall. A ghost sometime crossed the hall with a long lost expression on there face. The student chatted happily, while the stonewalls glistered under the flicker of the giant golden chandlers.

"Are you coming or what!" Padma broke into their dreams. The girls hadn't realized, but they'd stop in the middle of the entrance, admiring the hall. Some passing student looked at them strangely, not only because of the fact they were pretty much the only one without cloaks, but also because of the fact that they were blocking half the entrance, looking at the magnificent chandlers. "What's wrong with you? Have you ever noticed them before, I know there great and all, but my goodness, after the 5ft time coming in, you get used to them!" She finished.

"We...we never noticed them before..." Steph said.

"Even stranger..." Added Pavartie.

The girl continued their walk to the office. The sisters stopped in front of a big golden eagle statue.

"There," said Pavartie, "I hope you do not need instruction to how to open the door..."

The two girls giggled away.

"Euh...Now what?" Asked Van.

"Do you honestly think I know the answer!" Said Steph. "Wait! Sherbet Lemon!" She said to the statue. It didn't move.

"Oooh" Van said "Euh, Chocolate Frog!"

It didn't work. The girls tried every single magical candy they could think of, when suddenly,

"Ear Wax." Said an old's man voice behind them. The statue was now letting was to an old staircase.

"Ear Wax?" Both girls said, turning to see the source of the voice.

"Indeed. I decided that it would be quite funny, to name it after the flavor of Berty Bot beans." Dumbledor said with a soft smile. "Now then, I believe you weren't trying to figure out my password for nothing. Please come in!"

The two girls walked in, admiring the paintings of passed away wizards who used to rule Hogwarts. Dumbledor seated in his chair and gestured the girls to sit in two other chair whom the girls swear they weren't there when they came in.

"Now then. I know all my students, but I'm afraid to say, I do not seem to recognize you two..." he said with no hint of sarcasm.

"Well..." Steph started. "It's not like your supposed to know us..."

"Go on..."

"We got here and we don't know how, all I know is that me and Vanessa knew about this place before we got here, and it all started with this book." She said while pulling the book out of her jacket. Dumbledor took the book in his long skinny finger. He flipped the page and his eyes widened.

"Were did you find this?"

"We got it in a library," said Van, "Steph opened it and it started writing its own story, by itself. And then we got here... Euh, professor, Pardon me asking, what year are we?"

"Its all right, I don't mind you asking." There was a pause, "Oh, euh, right, its year 1997"

Van looked at Steph, "You know what this mean! We just time traveled..."

"Well, now, we must figure out how to get you back. As I can see, you girls must not be muggles since you can see your surroundings. But, to make sure I have a test for you."

"Like?" Asked Steph.

"I will give you a stone. If by holding it, it turns light blue, and starts hovering over your had, well, you are witches."

He handed out the stone to Vanessa first. She took it and held it. Nothing happened at first, but then, the stone started changing. It got blue, really light blue, than started it way up. But then, the stone didn't stop there, it got higher and higher, turned bright white, like a very bight light bulb, then it exploded with a loud BANG. There was a long moment of silence, and then Dumbledor spoke.

"Well then, I've never seen that before with a student, and most oddly, from one that never did magic before..."

He handed out a new rock to Stephanie. The stone did the same odd behaviors, but not white, more like and odd greenish yellow color.

"Well..." Said Dumbledor. "I can see that you two hold immense powers. You will certainly stay here to learn to use them well. Now, go on, I will call professor McGonagall to great you. I will send you into Griffindor because I find that professor McGonagall is the best to get student to catch up." And with that he winked is right eye.

The girls smiled and headed out, but Van turned and said, "But professor, what about the book? Will we never know what it is? And we need school supplies no? and also, what about our parents?"

"Well, one, I will do some research on the book, and I promise to tell you as soon as I figure something. Two, school supplies have already being brought up to you dormitories. And finally, Three, I'm afraid I cant do anything about that until I fond a way to send a letter to the future." Seeing Steph's scared look he added with a smile, "I already have an idea how, no worries..."

The girls smiled back and left. An old looking women waited for them a the bottom of the stairs.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "I'm professor McGonagall, please fallow me."

With that, she turned on her heals and started her way up the hall.

"Hogwarts..." Said Van, thoughtfully, and passionately at the same time.

"Ron..." Said Steph, but only with passion.

Van rolled her eyes and kept on walking. After no long, they reached a panting of a fat lady, with a hideous pink dress. "_Dragon's Scale_" said the professor. The painting moved way to a hole in the wall. The inside was buzzing with activity. Steph froze.

"Ron, catch!" Yelled a boy with jet-black hair.

Ron, who was looking at the two girls didn't hear him, and the quill landed square on his forehead. Little black dot now decorated his face. Ron snapped back to reality a shouted at Harry, who was now in tears from laughing.

"Harry, not funny! I could of lost my eye! How do you expect me to play Quiditch now!"

With that, Harry shut up, but with a lot of difficulty, because Ron hadn't even a clue of the ink not making its way down his face.

Steph still starring at him, flushed and walked away, suddenly interested in the painting of a tree as he turned and said hi.

"Did I say something wrong?" He asked to Van, obviously, he didn'y notice the flush.

"No, not at all." She said, trying to laugh. "She's just... Euh, you've got..." She added, pointing at her forehead.

He rubbed his and with an gasp of horror, turned around, looking at Harry with murderous eyes. Harry couldn't hold it anymore, and he burst in laugher again.

"Harry!" And with that he left for the guy's dormitories.

"Steph, come on!" Said Van.

The two headed up to their dormitories, were they figured they were anyway. As they stepped in their room (thankfully, the right one) a crowd of girls were looking at the newly appeared beds. With the sound of the door closing, they looked around.

The girls all went back to their business except one bushy haired young lady.

"Hi, I'm Hermione" She said with a smile. "Are you the new students we've being hearing all about in the school?"

"Wow, news goes real fast here..."Said Van. "Well, I'm Vanessa, and this is..."

She looked around for Steph, who was on her bed looking at the sealing, blank expretion on her face. "Yea...This is Steph"

"Is...Is she alright? She looks..."

"Oh, let her, she just had an interesting meeting with _her_ dream guy"

"SHUT UP VAN!" Steph shouted, getting the attention of the whole pack of chatting girls.

"Anyway, yea, she's still in shock." Van finished.

"Who!" Exclaimed Hermione. "Do I know him?"

"Yes, very well!"

"Harry!"

"Nope"

"...Ooooooh, no way...RON!"

"SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!" Steph yelled again.

"Well," said Van. "She just gave it away"

"Damn..." Steph said.

"You have to promise not to tell him though." Said Van. "Or else I'm going to get murdered..." She added, glancing at Steph, who was still looking at her with her _I'll-Kill-You_ look.

"I promise."

With that, they left the room, heading downstairs for a chat with the guys.

"Coming Steph?" Asked Hermione.

"I'll...I'll you stay here..." She said.

Van giggled and left with Hermione.


	3. Chapter 2

The next morning was as interesting as the first afternoon. First off, a guy in the common room casted a spell on a quill, to make is do last minute homework for him, but the quill when crazy a drew on everything it could find. Steph woke up with the word crush on her harm, witch she tried desperately to erase with no success, the words were still faintly visible.

As they left their room, They heard Ron's voice shouting like mad in the boy's dormitory.

"SEAMUS, IS I CATCH YOU, YOU AND THAT QUILL ARE GONNA GET IT!" And with that, he barged out of the room, a wet towel in his hands, trying with a much success as Steph, to erase the glasses the quill drew on his face.

"Oh my god!" Laughed Hermione and Van at the same.

"I forgot my quill!" Said Steph preparing to make a run for in the dormitory. Ron twitched and turned at the sound of that word and stared at her. "I...I mean book!" She added, running away.

"Am I that scary looking?" Said Ron.

"Yes." Said Hermione.

"Gee thanks! You weren't supposed to answer that!" He exclaimed

The two girls giggled and walked away, while Ron made his way back to his room. Only then did Steph come back out to catch up with the girls.

"Hey, Steph, Where's you book!" Said Van mockingly.

"Don't start..." Steph answered.

"Wasn't that your dream, meeting him?"

"I...I can't! I want to talk to him, but I just freeze!"

"Let me talk to him." Proposed Hermione.

"NO!" Steph shouted. "Do not do that!" Seeing Hermione shocked look she added, "I'm sorry, I'm just, really..."

"...In love?" Mocked Van again.

"Shut up." Steph said.

The three made there way to the great hall, just when the morning dishes appeared. They ate with delight, the meal was delicious, plus, the fact that they hadn't had dinner helped. Their first class was charm. Vanessa and Hermione sat in a way that the only seat available was beside Ron. Steph was Mad at them, but at the same time, kind of grateful.

"Hello class!" Said the little professor Flitwick. "Today, were going to start a more advance section of levitation. Were going to lift blocks of stones. Now, grab your wand, and remember, _Swish_ and _Flick_" He did the motion with his wrist.

"Yes professor" Said the class at the same time.

The students grabbed their wands and you could hear the _Wingardium Leviosa_ spell everywhere. Van, eager to try magic, grabbed he wand and pointed it at the stone. As she thought of the spell, without saying the spell, the stone flew right up the air, crashing right threw the ceiling, landing in the boys bathroom above.

The whole class became silent, All staring back and forth at the hole in the bathroom and Van.

"Well miss Savard, please learn to control you powers! I understand that you are new, but please..." Exclaimed Flitwick.

"Y-yes professor" Van answered

Slowly the class started talking again. Ron looked around at Steph.

"Aren't you going to try?" He asked. Steph looked around in shock, flushing a little, not enough to be noticed easily, she answered,

"No." She Simply said, flushing more and turning around.

"Why not?" Hermione asked.

"I just don't want to... I...I don't want the same thing to happen to me!"

"Well, you have to try it! Beside, isn't here the place to make mistakes? If you don't learn now, when are you?"

"I...Ok, I'll try!" She said. That when she realized that Ron was still looking at her. She flushed more and just stood there.

"Euh, hello?" He said.

"Right, yes...I'm." Steph said, the only word that managed to come out safely.

She took a big breath and held her wand. She taught about the spell and the rock shot up. She gasped and yelled "DOWN DOWN!" The rock changed its course toward the ground. It went right trough the floor...Into professor Snape's office.

"What the! Who is the responsible!" He shouted, his lip curving with the anger. Every student looked over at Steph, who just wanted to curve in a ball and disappear right now. "Your coming right here young lady! We are going to have a little chat!" He finished.

Steph turned white with fear, tears of humiliation and fear appeared in the corner of her eyes. Professor Flitwick must have seen it, because he jumped in Steph's defense.

"It is not her fault Serverus, it her first day using magic. I will talk to her personally if needed, and if there's going to be any disciplining, I believe this is Minerva's job." He paused. "If you want to have student friends, I should tell you right now, scaring new students like this if not going to help."

Snape's lips curved with discuss. He spoke making sure to pronounce every word clearly.

"I-do-not-need-friend, specially incompetent students! _Reparus!_" And the floor pieced back together.

Steph sat on her chair, looking blankly at her wand.

"Are...are you ok?" Ron asked.

"YES, I'M PERFECTLY FINE!" And with that she shot out of the room.

Ron turned around, looking at van.

"I don't think she likes me very much..." He said.

Van giggled and went back to her conversation with Hermione. Ron did the same with Harry.

"Professor," called Neville. "May I be excused to go to the bathroom?"

"Of course, go." Said Flitwick, which his attention was with Lavender.

A minute passed and Van turned to Hermione, careful not to speak to loud,

"I feel bad for Steph, Ron is trying to be friends with her, but she's ruining it, she's to scared."

"Do you think we should tell Ron that its nothing personal, that she has..._reasons?_" Hermione proposed.

"Yea, I'll do it, because if he figures it out, its me that she's going to kill, not you." She answered with a giggle. Se walked to Ron, who was coincidently in a conversation about Steph.

"Ron, don't take it personally, she doesn't hate you, she's just..." She thought of a reason. "...Sad of being away from home."

"You mean, you weren't supposed to be here!" He exclaimed.

"No, we were in a libra-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHH"**_BOUM _**"Ouch!"

Neville got up, looking at the hole in the ceiling. The class burst in laugher, Neville laughing with them. The bell rang, and everyone headed for the great hall. Van headed for the common room. There, she found Steph, sitting in front of the fire, reading a letter and petting a golden owl who was perched on here lap.

"Steph? Are you OK?" Van asked.

"Yea, I guess... I'm still terrified of Snape, but overall, I'm a lot better." Steph hesitated and asked, "is Ron... Is he mad at me? For snapping at him like that?"

"No, I told him." Steph's eyes widened. Van added with a giggle, "I didn't tell him _that_. And by the way, what's that?"

"Oh! It's a letter from our parents! They got Dumbledor's letter, and after a bit of coaxing, they agreed to let us stay in condition that we'd write to them often of course." She laughed. "Oh! And Dumbledor gave us the owl as a present, he said that we'd be needing it to write to our parents. Her name is Aglaia. Its Greek, and it means beauty."

"Wow, our own owl! Hey there girl." She patted Aglaia's head. "How did he send a letter?"

"One word: Time turner."

"Of course!"

"And now, if we need to send letters, we only need to send the owl and the letter to Dumbledor, Aglaia is trained for time traveling."

"Awesome! And euh ... I don't want to ruin your moment but, our next class is...Potion."

Steph's face turned white again.

"Don't worry, he cant do anything, look what Harry's being trough."

"Your right, if he can get trough it, I can!"

"That's the spirit! Now come on, I don't think it's a good idea to be late...at this class."

The girls walked towards the castle's entrance. Steph wondered if Van knew were she was going, but then she saw Hermione's figure waiting for them at the stairs. She greeted Steph with a warming smile and they started there way down the cold dungeon. They got there and took their seats. Shortly after three Slitherins came in. One had slick, blond hair, and behind him, two huge boys, stupid looking, fallowed him a bit like guards that didn't know what to do.

Drago Malfoy walked to a table, but as he crossed Ron's look, he burst in laugher.

"I...I know your...your jealous of Potter, but," he took a breath. "You didn't need to draw glaces and a scar on your face!" He doubled is laughs.

The rest of Slitherins who hadn't noticed burst in laugher with Malfoy. Ron got up.

"Don't laugh at me like that! Ask Seamus what happened!" He snapped.

"What, because little Weasley couldn't do it by himself?" Mocked Malfoy.

"Enough!" Snape entered the room. "Now, will you all-" He paused looking at Steph, which made herself smaller in her chair. Then, he continued. "Take out your books and open them to page 394. Were going to make a disappearing potion. And I trust you not to use it to sneak out, I, as a matter of fact, have many ways to know if this potion has being used. Now, the ingredient are on that table, and please, No-Mistake" He looked at Steph while saying these last words. She crouched even lower in her chair, now, the table was about at her chin. Everyone got up to get their ingredients, Van got Steph's whose legs were too shaky to walk straight. She couldn't afford to fall and break something... Van came back with their stuff and they got started. After a few minutes Harry's potion was making odd gulping noises, Van and Hermione's were perfect, Steph's was almost as hard as cement, and Ron's was running across the room, barking at everyone.

"I just thought about this, what day are we?" Asked Van to anyone who knew the answer.

"October 21. Why?" Asked Harry, who was desperately trying to mix his potion with his fifth spoon (they swallowed the four other ones.)

"Because, when we left home, we were in year 2004, and I was wondering if the day changed to, but no, we left October 20th."

"Cool, from the future!" Said Ron. "How is it?"

"Monsters were ruling the planet." Van said casually. Ron's eyes widened. "I'm just kidding!"

"I knew that!" He said.

They chatted happily for the rest of the period.

"Ok class, please give me a sample of your potion for evaluating."

Van, Hermione and Steph (Steph had to use a steal spoon) managed to get their samples. Harry, which his potion became normal after the help of Hermione, was emptying a spoon full in a glass container. Ron on the other hand, was chasing his potion everywhere. The potion was still running around, thinking of this chasse as a game. Finally, Ron gave up and just let it go. As he left, the potion came running back a bit him on the behind. Everyone laughed, except Steph, which was afraid that her laugh would just sound stupid in front of Ron. She just left.

The rest the gang left soon after. The was a quiet moment, then,

"Sometime I think that Steph really doesn't care about me! Like just now, when she left." Ron said. Vanessa and the other stopped walking.

"Oh trust me Ron, she does." She said. Ron just stood there. Van, added, "She _really _does."

Ron's eyes widened, and he started backing up, as if a ghost was closing up on him.

"Sh- Aaaah!" He turned around in a hurry. He had backed up into the statue of a knight, his sword had pocked him in the back. He laughed nervously, flushing. "Well, will you look at that, there's a statue there!" He had an other nervous laugh. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but euh...I have homework to do."

"What homework!" Exclaimed Harry in a panicked voice, he obviously wasn't catching on to the conversation.

"Just...Stuff." And Ron spun around and left, walking quite fast.

"What's up with him?" Said Harry.

The girls looked at him in a _duh!_ look. Finally, Harry caught on.

"Oooooooh! So you mean that she-" The girls nodded. "And that he's-" The girls nodded again. "Oooooooh! Well, Rooooooooonnnnnnnnn!" He called in an odd kind of way.

And the end of the corridor, Ron turned around. "What!" Ron exclaimed.

"You give Steph a BIG hug for me when you get to the common room!" He yelled.

Even from here, Ron's face could be seen turning bright red, almost as red as his hair. He walked away almost as fast as a jog.

The girls bursted in laughter, they couldn't believe what Harry had just done!

"What? I had to make sure!" He said. The girls laughed even more.


	4. Chapter 3

Steph entered the common room. She was relieved the she escaped class without laughing stupidly at Ron, how humiliating would that of bin! On the other hand she thought, _what if Ron thinks I ditched him, what if he hates me!_ She suddenly felt ashamed of leaving. She got up, ready to leave and return to her friends, but at the same time, the fat lady's painting opened. Ron came in, looking kind of tired, as if he had run. They stood there, looking at each other and then, they both looked away at the same time, flushing. The painting opened again, Van came in.

"Hey, Steph! Were have you been?" She asked.

"Here." Steph answered.

"Of course..." Van paused. "Look, I have to tell you something, I don't want you to learn it by someone else... Ron was-" She was cut of by Harry barging in.

"Hey! Stephy! Have you seen Ron?" He laughed, "I think he has something to tell you! Well, you both have something to tell each other really..." A huge grin appeared on his face.

"WHAT!!!" Steph yelled. She looked at Van, who was now kind of scared, but she felt like laughing at the same time. Steph turned bight red.

"Come on! Answer! What's that all about Van!" Her voice was a mix of rage and humiliation.

"That's what I wanted to tell you, but Harry here," She glanced at him. "Decide to barge in and inform you of the situation quite fast."

"Quite brutal really." Said Hermione, who had come in behind Harry.

"Talk about brutal! How! When!" Steph paused. "WHY!"

"Well," Van said. "We were kind of walking along from potion class when Ron told us that he thought you didn't care about him, so I told him that you did... A bit to obviously... Sorry... But yea, he figured it out, and Harry here to... We helped a bit... Sorry..."

"YOU WHAT!" Steph exclaimed. Harry kept smiling.

"You know, Ron needs a lover, Fleur Delacour wasn't really his type..." He said.

"Arrrggg!" And with that, she stormed off to her room.

They had an hour before the next class started, which was care or magical creature. The whole hour, Steph stayed in the dormitory. She was bored, so she decided to write to her parents. She took a quill and a roll of parchment and began writing.

_**Dear mom and dad,**_

_**Hi! I miss you so much, and yes, my brother to... I just miss teasing him! Everythings fine here, can you imagine! I'm doing magic! I did a disappearing potion, I lifted huge rock boulders, and next, I'm heading to "care of magical creature" class.**_

She paused, wondering if she should tell them about professor Snape, then she decided not to, getting them worried after only 2 days wasn't a good Idea really.

_**I've bin placed into Griffindor, this is the house were the famous Harry Potter is, and yes, I've seen him, as a matter of fact, I'm good friend with him...Ron to...And Hermione, not that you know them...**_

_**Anyway, Vanessa is with me, and doing well to. I expect she'll be writing to her parents soon too! Sorry my letter isn't long, after to days, not much happened...**_

_**Love ya! Xox**_

**Stephanie**

She rolled up the letter and headed out to the owlery, and that's when she realized that she didn't know were it was. She headed down to the common room to ask Hermione and Van to come with her.

"Hermione," She called. "Would you like to show me were the aviary is, I wrote a letter to my parents, and I would like to send it to them. Van, you can come to."

"Sure!" Hermione said.

"Why don't you ask Ron?" Said Harry.

"Ah, shut up Harry, its getting old..." Said Van. "Oh, can it wait a bit? I'll write one for my parents while were at it ok?"

"Sure!" Steph said.

Van headed up to the dormitory. Taking the same quill and parchment roll that Steph had taken, she began writing herself.

_**Hey Family!**_

_**Everything is good here! I'm going well and learning well. I've taken potion, charm, and I'm heading for the magical creature class in no long. Wish me luck!**_

_**Steph is well, she's actually found luv! But I wont go there.**_

_**Smack Veronique and Benoit in the head for me,**_

_**Miss you all! Kisses! I'll see ya later!**_

_**Vanessa**_

She hurried and rolled up the letter. When she reached downstairs they got themselves ready to go.

"Lets grab our self something to eat while were down there. Want anything Harry?" Ask Hermione.

"No thanks, I'm fine," he answered. "RON!"

"What!" His voice could be heard in the dormitory.

"Want any food?"

"No!"

With that, the three left for the owlery. On the walk there, they encountered Sir. Nicolas, who was giving a speech to Peeve about why not to break vases. Peeve was obviously not listening, looking at the three as they passed by.

"He freaks me out..." Commented Hermione.

They kept on walking. Soon enough, wing beats could be heard in the distance, with the occasional hoot of an owl. When they got there, Van and Steph blocked there nose. The place was even more disgusting than they thought. Owl dropping everywhere while with dead rat bodies carpeted the floor.

"Well, this is it." Said Hermione.

"Ewww," said Van. "Wasn't really what I was expecting..."

Steph looked around for Aglaia. For a minute she thought she was gone, but then she spotted her at the very top of the aviary.

"AGLAIA!" She called.

Aglaia's wings extended, and she leaped in the air, landing on a neat by stand.

Steph attached the letters to Aglaia's fine legs.

"Now remember," Van said. "One letter goes to Steph's parents, and one to mine. And you have to go see Dumbledor first, this is a time travel letter. Aglaia hooted affectionately and flew away threw one on the many owlery windows.

"Steph?" Van called.

"Yes?" Steph answered.

"Are you going to eventually talk to Ron?"

"Euh... I... Well, eventually..."

"You'll have to one day, you have a whole year ahead of you!"

"I know, it'll come eventually like I said..."

Van rolled her eyes and the three headed for the great hall. On the way there, they unfortunately crossed Peeve, who must of bin waiting for them. He laughed hysterically, throwing Flintch's water bucket (which were full of water) at the girls. The three ran like crazy, fortunately coming across the Bloody Baron. They told him what was up, and with an exclamation of rage, glided to Peeve's pursuit.

The three got to the great hall, the food was still on the table, so they took what was left and headed to the common room. They had 15 minutes before next the class, so they hurried up.

"Hey there!" Said Harry. "Got food?"

"I thought you weren't hungry!" Exclaimed Van.

"Well, It came while you were gone!"

"You go ahead and eat, we've got to much anyway."

They ate as fast as they could, and, there was some left.

"You go and give that to Ron," Hermione said. "I'm sure he's starving."

"Yea, I'll do that, and drag him out of there at the same time."

Harry went upstairs with what was left of the food, a butter bear and two sandwiches. They came out 2 minutes later, Ron stuffing his face and they all headed out to Hagrid's hut. Slitherin was already there.

"Well well Weasley, decided that glaces weren't your look?" Said Malfoy.

"Shut up Malfoy." Said Harry.

"Why wont you let Weasley defend himself, unless he's to much of a coward? Are you Weasley?"

"I SERTANLY AM NOT!" Exclaimed Ron.

"Oh drop it!" Said Hermione. "He's not worth it."

Malfoy was getting ready to reply, but just then, Hagrid arrived.

"Hello there class. Ain'it a nice day?" He said. There were a couple of nervous responses, and then he continued. "Well then, fallowin' er lesson of fairies yesterday, I decided t'do a lesson on Fairy Knots." There were a couple of curious looks. "Fairy Knots is somthin' that makes Unicorns pretty angry. During the night, fairies come out and creap'up on them Unicorns. They make these knots in ther manes and use'em as reins to ride'em Unicorns." There were still confused looks so Hagrid decided to take a more hand on approach. He moved a big bush out of the way, and there, several beautiful white Unicorns were standing tied to a tree, furious looking. A couple of girls, including Steph, held their breath. "Now then, them Unicorns were petty hard to catch, and let me tell you, they aren't happy about'it. Please be careful not to let them loose, I worked hard on catchin'em. Now, your job is to inspect each Unicorn to see if any fairy has bin there, if so, I hade a potion to untangle knots. I'll put ya'll in groups." Everyone looked at each other, they knew that Hagrid's groups weren't exactly always working, last time they ended up using their creature as battle elements... "Now, emmm... Draco and Goyle, Hermione and Lavender, Harry and Vanessa, Ron and Stephanie-" He was interrupted by Harry's coughing. "Are you OK Harry?"

"Yes, continue on..." Said Harry, with an odd difficulty...

While Hagrid continued creating groups, Steph, Van, Harry, and Ron headed for a Unicorn. They were obviously not happy to see them, they all snorted and pawed the ground. Vanessa and Harry chose their Unicorn, and Steph took the one beside them.

"Well..." Ron started. "Hagrid gave us this sheet that w-we have to fill up. Its information about o-our Unicorn..."

"Alright then, I'm an expert on horses..." Ron had a weird look. "Its like Unicorns, but they have no horns."

"Oh..."

They each took a side, thankfully, they didn't have to work side by side...

"Well, it's a male." Steph said.

"14.6 hands tall" Ron added.

"Its says that we have to mark the age... The only way I know is by checking in the mouth... I'm not sure it a very good idea, Hagrid said that they bite..."

"I'll do it." Said Ron in a very show off voice. He got close to the mouth and hesitated when the Unicorn stallion flashed his razor sharp pearly with teeth. Ron looked up and saw that Steph was staring, so he put on a courageous face and grabbed the Unicorn's muzzle. He lifted the upper lip, and the Unicorn didn't move. A triumphal smile appeared on Ron's face. "Now what, he said."

Steph took a look from farther away, well, if Unicorns are like horses, I'd say that he's about 8 year of age."

Ron let go, and as he turned around, the Unicorn stretched out is neck and gave him a good bite on the upper leg. Ron yelled in pain and fell to the ground, as he did so, the Unicorn bucked a kick, missing his head by only few inches. Ron rolled aside to clear from the Unicorn's golden hooves, but as he did so, he got closer to Van's Unicorn, which aimed a kick at his leg, which he got.

"OH MY GOD! RON! WHATCH OUT!" Steph yelled as the Unicorn prepared an other kick. Steph jumped between Ron and the horse, clapping her hands and yelling _BACK!_ as she has done on countless occasions with aggressive horses before. The Unicorn glanced furiously at Steph, preparing to kick, but Steph knew its game and jumped aside, she ran to the head and undid the rope, holding the end, for more control, she grabbed her wand as a whip waving it at the Unicorn's head, forcing it to back up, leading it away from Ron, which a little circle of blood could be seen appearing through his pants.

The Unicorn lashed again a Steph, with its teeth this time. Steph, who's tempered was now being stretched to an end, did what she thought she never had to do, with the wand she smacked the Unicorn on the shoulder. Stupefied, the Unicorn froze. How dare a human hit a Unicorn! During that moment of inattention, Steph tied the Unicorn to a near by tree.

The whole class had froze, that seen was even weirder than anything they had seen in this class, only Hagrid could handle Unicorns like that! Steph ran up to Ron and kneeled beside him. Because of all the adrenaline, she didn't realize that she was actually being nice and normal with him.

"Are you ok!" She said, getting up and handing him a hand to get up. He grabbed it and stood up, holding his hand. They looked at each other in they eyes, and then, realized and turned around, Ron running...Limping, to Hagrid.

"Steph!" Van exclaimed. "You...Wow! You just saved Ron there!"

Steph flushed. "It...It was nothing..."

"Nothing! You saved his life!" She lowered her voice. "What do you think he's going to think about you! He's...He's going to fall for you!"

Steph flushed even more. Hagrid ran towards them.

"What in Merlin's beard happened here!" He exclaimed. "How did Missy get there!"

"Steph moved it there!" Exclaimed Harry. "She just saved Ron's behind!"

"Really? I don't know how you managed to move it there, but 25 points to Griffondor!"

Griffondor student clapped. Ron, in the background, what just staring not even realizing that Steph was looking back.


	5. Chapter 4

The next day, things between Ron and Steph were even more awkward, and Van started to get annoyed.

"Just talk to him!" She kept saying. But nothing seemed to work. Even though Steph was not that scared of Ron, she still didn't talk to him very much. He on the other hand was worst than ever, flushing every second of the day, keeping as far away from them as he could, he even missed Transfiguration class, which got McGonagall pretty mad since the lesson was an important one, a review of the years work, specially made for Van and Steph.

The class with Trelawney was even more humiliating for Ron. In card reading, he got love as his primary element... After that, he excused himself to go to the bathroom, which he never came back.

Third period went bad for Steph, defense against the dark art which was given by Snape because the usually teacher was currently out of condition to teach, gave Steph a hard time, an coincidently passed a comment about how teens kept being distracted from school work by love. Steph left the class saying that she didn't feel so good.

This went for days until Van couldn't take it anymore. One night, while Harry was showing Steph how to play wizard's chest, Van and Hermione went for a little trip in the library...

"Steph?" Called Van.

"Yea?"

"Me and Hermione went for a walk, and we found something awesome! You have to come!" She said.

"What is it?" Steph asked, intrigued.

"Ahhh! It's a surprise!"

"Common!"

"Nope! Fallow me!"

Finally, Steph gave in and decided to fallow Van. They headed towards the great hall, but at the last minute, changed direction, they took a small corridor at there left, and then, up some stairs. They passed in front of a creepy looking statue of a Centaur holding a bow.

They turned right this time, and up an other staircase. Finally Van stopped in front of an old looking door.

"This is it!" She said. "You go in first!"

"Why?" Steph asked.

"Because I already saw it, I want you to have the surprise."

"What the hell is it!" Exclaimed Steph.

"Go!"

"Arg! FINE!" With that she laughed.

Steph opened the door and Stepped in.

"What, I cant see any-" Steph got cut of by Van pushing her in the room and locking the door. "WHAT THE! Van! Let me out! What's the deal!" Steph panicked.

Van laughed and walked away. Steph turned around, looking at the room, and, with a gasp, she saw that Ron was there to, looking depressed in front of the fire.

"What excuse did she use to bring you here?" He said, still sounding depressed.

Steph laughed nervously and said, "Van told me there was something _amazing_ in here."

"Oh..." He simply said. There was a long uncomfortable moment. "Sooooooooooo... What do you do in your muggle world?" He asked.

"Well... I go to school, muggle school, and I do horseback riding." She answered.

"Ride horses? Wouldn't you fall of?"

"Ride brooms? Wouldn't you fall of?" She laughed. He laughed to.

"Yea, I guess..." He said. There was an other uncomfortable moment. "Euh... I... I just wanted to tell you... Thanks for saving me back there..."

"Oh... It was nothing... I'm used to handling horses..." There was a _really_ uncomfortable moment. "Sooooooooooo... What do we do now?" She asked.

"Well, we wait for them to come and open the door, I tried unlocking it with my wand, but Hermione put a spell on the lock..."

"Oh... So, euh... How's Fred and George?" She said, trying to make a conversation.

"What? How do you know them!"

"Well, In the future, my time, they wrote books about Harry, his story, how he d- took care of Vol- you know who."

"So, you know everything! How its going to end?"

"no, I left after I learned that... Sirius..."

"Oh..."

Suddenly, the door opened. The two of them jumped to there feet, but no one was there. They walked together towards the common room. Just before reaching the painting, Ron stopped and turned around. He asked awkwardly,

"T-There's a trip to Hogsmade tomorrow, on Halloween, y-you want to go with me?"

Steph flushed more than ever, _Ron, Ronald Weasley, is asking me out!_ she thought.

"Sure!" Steph exclaimed, with a bit too much enthusiasm. Ron looked relieved. Steph said the password, and they both barged into the common room.

"VANESSA!" Steph yelled.

"What?" Van answered with and innocent voice.

"What the hell was that all about!"

"What?"

"Looking me in a room with Ron!"

"Oh, thaaaat. Well, I was tired of you being scared of each other, so, well... Did it work!"

"I don't care! I just really mad right now!" Steph said, walking up to the dormitory.

Ron, him, walked up to his dormitory, and before entering, he turned around.

"See you tomorrow Steph!" He said.

"Yea, see ya!" She answered.

"Aaaawwww..." Exclaimed Van. Steph shook her head and continued into the dormitory, Van fallowing. She entered the room behind Steph and Exclaimed,

"So, did it!"

"Oh my god Van! You were right! The second thing he said was _thanks for saving me_! And you know what! He asked me out!"

Van squeaked in excitement. "Were!"

"At Hogsmade, tomorrow"

"I can't believe it! Steph is going on a date!"

"Who is going on a date?" Asked Hermione as she came in.

"Steph and Ron!" Exclaimed Van.

"NO WAY!"

"YES WAY!"

"OK, OK, girls, geez, its just a date! "

"Party pooper..." Said Van.

They all closed their lights and went to sleep.

They all woke up the next morning, and to their surprise, then castle was decorated with Jack'O lanterns, really spooky Jack'O lanterns. Golden bats were flying everywhere, and once in a while, one would bang against a window and disappear in a puff of smoke.

"What that all about?" Asked Steph.

"Its Halloween you air head!" Exclaimed Van

"And at noon, Ron will be waiting for you to go to Hogsmade!"

"What time is it?" Asked Steph again.

"10h00" Answered Van.

"WHAT!!!!"

"You slept like a baby!"

"Man! I got to get ready!" Steph exclaimed. "I haven't eaten yet!"

"Hurry hurry hurry!" Said Hermione.

"Steph was about to put her robes on when she realized that they were in the weekend. She dressed up, jeans and a yellow hoddy, fairly simple.

"Your not going to wear that are you?" Asked Van.

"Yea! What's wrong?"

"Your-going-on-a-date!"

"With Ron! You think he'll care?"

"True..."

The rest of the girls got dressed and they all headed downstairs. Ron and Harry where playing a game of Wizard's Chest. Ron looked over at Steph and smiled, Steph smiled back and flushed a little, nobody noticed.

The three walked to the great hall to eat, but it was empty.

"Were to late," said Hermione. "Fallow me, I know were to go."

They walked past the corridor that leaded to Snape's class, and turned left in a long dark corridor. "Creepy" Said Steph. They walked until they arrived in from of a painting of a cup of fruit.

"Of course!" Van exclaimed. She walked in front of the painting and tickled the peer. It giggled and let way to a glamorous kitchen. House elves were running left and right to prepare dinner.

Hermione stepped in and called Dobby.

"Yes Miss?" He answered, running towards them a to big pair of shorts slowing him down. He was wearing huge orange shorts, buttons of all the events of the past years pinned to them. "Ronald is our King" still flashed from last year. Two ugly stocks covered his feet, one green, and one black with little purple flowers on them.

"Me and my friends got to the great hall a bit late for breakfast, you got anything left?" Hermione continued.

"Yes miss! Dobby would do anything for a friend of Harry Potter!" With that, he ran happily to a nearby elf and told him instructions. In no long, five elves were running up to them with too much food that they could handle.

Their arms full, they headed back to the common room.

"Hey guy! Look what we scraped up on the side of the road!" Hermione joked.

"Yum!" Ron exclaimed, before jumping on the pile, taking the best tings befor anyone could put his or her hands on it.

"What time is it?" Asked Van.

"11h00 o'clock." Harry answered before Ron could. His face was stuffed with food, he swallowed.

"What time do we have to be back from Hogsmade, cuz I know that there's supposed to be an Halloween banquet for dinner."

"I think it starts a 6h00 o'clock." Hermione said.

"Ok, thanks." And with that, he stuffed a cream puff in his mouth.

Time ticked by, and soon enough, it was time to leave for Hogsmade. At 11h50, the five of them headed to the exit to give their Hogsmade sheets to Mcgonagall. Van and Steph were allowed to go even if they didn't have one considering the circumstances.

"Ok everyone, get out of here!" She exclaimed after everyone was ready to go.

Harry and Hermione left for the Three Broomstick, while Van went alone. She wanted to explore the town, and she knew that they both seen it a lot. Ron and Steph left together, heading for the first place that came to Steph's mind, the joke Store. As they headed there, she though of something.

"So, Ron, how's your brothers joke store coming along?" She asked.

"I might say, its brilliant! Look at that, Fred and George just love these! They even created a new version, very realistic I might add!"

"And what is it?"

"...I...I don't know." With that, he laughed, and she did to.

Van was walking along, crossing the Three Broomstick, and heading towards the post office, were she remembered what Hermione said in the third book, "Its brilliant!"

"Stop him!" Yelled a voice in the back. "Burglar! Burglar!"

A tall, dark figure headed towards her, knocking her out of the way to hide between two shops. He thought and then grabbed Van by the arm and covered her mouth.

"You better not tell a word that I'm here! Your going to sit there like a nice little girl and NOT move or make a sound!" It whispered severely under a black hood.

"This way!" Yelled one of the wizard officer, and they ran out of sight.

The man whistled and a half horse, half eagle creature flew towards them. The Hippogriff landed in front of them.

"Buckbeak?" Van asked. The creature looked over at her. The man looked at her, and even under the dark hood, she could see that he was surprised. He grabbed her and lifted her up on Buckbeak's back.

"What! Let me go! What are you doing!" She yelled.

"You need to answer a few question!" He said.

He climbed up on Buckbeak's back and they flew up in the air. As they gained altitude, the wind blew of the hood on the man's head.

"Sirius?" Van asked.


	6. Chapter 5

He looked around at her with round, surprised eyes.

"Sirius!" She repeated.

"Stop it!" The man said. "I do not know the _Sirius_ you might be thinking of." The surprise turned into anger.

"Oh yes you do! You Sirius Black! Harry's god father who _died_ last year, saving his life!"

"How…how do you know all this!"

"Ha! You see, it is you!"

"I said, how do you know!"

"I come from the future, where there are books about Harry's life."

"What!"

"Yes, and that's where I read about this world. And ended out here, god knows how… And you! How could you do this to Harry! He misses you, he thinks your dead! Imagine the joy if he sees you!"

"I cant, and I'm doing this for him… You don't know how I wish to see him again…"

"Well go!"

"No… I have my reasons… And who are you to tell me this anyway!"

"I…euh…"

With that Buckbeak landed softly in a clearing in the woods. Van got of,

"Fallow that trail over there, its going to bring you right behind The Three Broomsticks. And please, do not tell Harry, or any of the others…" And with that he flew away.

"What about this?" Steph asked, waving the pendant in Ron's face.

"No, it's beautiful, but to expensive, I don't have enough money. Her birthday gift can't be over two Galleons…" Ron answered, a bit ashamed…

"There, Steph said, putting two more Galleons in Ron's hand, that four, enough to buy it."

"You don't have to… Its your money." He said, handing over the money, but obviously looking at it with envy.

"No, you take it, it would make me happy."

"Thanks…" Ron said, still sounding humiliated by the fact that he couldn't afford a simple birthday present for his mom. He looked at Steph, and she smiled, he smiled back, and paid the storekeeper. They left for the Three Broomsticks, carrying bags of sweets.

As they entered the bar, Hermione and Harry were sitting together, sipping on a butter bear.

"Over here guys!" Waved Hermione.

They both headed towards the table, and sat down. The bar lady came and took their orders, two butter bears.

Soon enough, Van entered and spotted them, she sat down, looking distracted. She ordered a butter bear, and drank it in silence.

"Van?" Steph asked, "are you ok? You look as if you just seen a ghost… Although that possible…"

"I'm…I'm fine, I just, euh, got scared a bit on the way in…"

"By?" Harry asked.

"Euh… a creepy looking witch…"

"Oh, you mean Mme Mcgonagall?" Joked Ron. Steph elbowed him. "Hey!" He exclaimed. Van laughed absently.

"Well," Said Van. "We better get going, its 5h30, and the banquet is at 6h00 o'clock!"

"What's the hurry Van?" Steph asked. "Aren't you having fun?"

"Yes, a lot…" Van answered, looking at the exit.

"If you say so…" Said Hermione.

They all walked back towards the castle, Steph and Ron chatting happily about Quiditch, Van was walking quite fast, thinking about something, and Harry and Hermione were exchanging chocolate frog cards.

As they entered the castle, they gasped in amazement. It was beautifully decorated in jack'o lanterns, orange and black hovering candles, and the knight armor were covered in spider webs, and randomly scaring passing students.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Van, and Steph entered their dormitories, getting ready for the party. Minutes later, they all headed to the great hall.

"Welcome, welcome!" Greeted professor Dumbledor. "Before we eat, I just wanted to wish you a happy Halloween! Enjoy the feast!!!"

As he stopped talking, and clapping stopped, the plates on the table filled with food and sweets. Chocolate frogs covered the table, and gummy snakes crawled between plated. Ron stuffed his face like crazy, half his plate covered in chocolate. Harry and Steph were having a competition of who could catch the most snakes, while he told Steph how he defeated the basilick. Hermione and Van were talking about muggle world.

"So I shoved the sword up his throat, but then-" Harry started.

"A teeth got stuck in your arm." Steph finished.

"So the snake died and you rushed to Ginny's side to-" Van continued.

"See if she was ok." Steph finished.

"Stop it! It's the third time now!" Harry exclaimed. "Twenty one!"

"Are you going to eat them all?" Asked Nevile.

"No, but you cant have them, I'm sending them to Dudley…" With that he chuckled.

"Oh Hurry, yo know yor going to got et win yo got hume!" Ron said with a full mouth.

"Who cares! Its worth it!"

The rest of the conversation was about the face of Dudley when the snake would crawl out of the envelope, and the year that Fred and George gave him the candy that made his tongue grow. The night went by fast, and soon enough, everyone was full and sleepy.

"Well guys, I got to or else I'm going to fall asleep in my plaa-aa-aate…" Hermione said, yawning.

"Yes, I guess I better go to." Said Van.

"Same here." Steph fallowed.

"Well I guess we'll all go to bed." Said Harry.

Soon enough, everyone was asleep.

The next morning, they had the school day of since the teachers all knew that the students would all be to tired to study well, so the five all went outside to take a walk along the forest and decided to give Hagrid a little visit. As they arrived, they saw him grooming something invisible.

"Nice Thestrial Hagrid! Why all the grooming?" Harry said. Of course he was the only one who could see it.

"Anda here is goin' to pull Dumbledor's carriage to on' of his conference in London, She's has to look er best!" He answered.

"Can I pet her!" Asked Steph with anticipation.

"Of course…" Said van with rolling eyes.

"Sure you can!" Exclaimed Hagrid.

Steph approached and petted what looked like nothing. "Its so soft!" She said. Harry started laughing.

"Ya Steph, you like the feeling of her but?" He said.

"Shut up! At lease I'm fortunate enough not to see her! Oh… Harry sorry, I…I didn't mean it like that…"

Harry looked like he had bin slapped in the face, he turned around, walking furiously towards the castle.

"Harry, wait!!! OUCH!" She exclaimed, knocking her head on the Thestrial's hard invisible neck. She ran after Harry. "Harry! Come back!!"

Everyone else was shocked by Steph's reply, but understood that she didn't mean it the harsh way, especially towards Harry.

"Ouch, that was harsh! Pore Harry…" Van said.

"Pore Steph!" Ron exclaimed, "can you imagine the guilt that she must be feeling right now?"

"True… Well, we better go Hagrid, sorry about that, we'll come back later."

"Ok, have a nice day now! We'll, hopefully…"

Van, Ron, and Hermione jogged to the castle to find Harry and Steph. They found them in the common room.

"Harry, Get out of there, I want to talk to you! I'm sorry!" Steph turned around and saw Ron. "Ron, can you go and get him, pull him out, go whatever."

"Just let him Steph," he said. "Out of personal experience, let him pipe down alone, he's easier to talk to after, trust me on that."

"True…"

"I bored!" Exclaimed Van out of the blue.

"Well that was random!" Said Hermione. "What do you want to do?"

"We'll, do you still know were that room of requirement is?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because I have an idea of what we could do, can you show me were it is?"

"Sure, fallow me!"

The four of them walked for what seemed to be for ever, and finally, they stopped in from of a painting of a knight killing a mountain troll.

"Ok, so you have to walk three-" Ron started

"I know, I know." Van said.

She walked three times in front of were the door was supposed to be than stopped, the door had appeared. Van opened it. "Voila!" She exclaimed.

They all walked in. The floor…well what used to be the floor, was covered in sand, and most of the room was water. The water was so clear that you could se tropical fish swimming trough coral. At the other end of the room, three dolphins could be seen playing together. Beside the door they came in, a rack full of bathing suits was standing, beside, 3 changing rooms were set. There also was a box full of goggles and plunging equipment. Four long chair were installed under a huge palm tree, and the sun was making the water glister like crystal.

"Were does the sun come from?" Ron asked. He looked out the window, and saw that outside was a snow storm.

"Don't hurt yourself Ron." Van said, laughing. "We're in Hogwarts, anything can happen here!"

Steph and Hermione we're already choosing their bathing suits. Steph had picked a red one, with black horses running along the collar. "This room is really awesome!" She said. "Here Ron, that's what a horse looks like…" She though for a minute, "Be right back." She ran out of the room leaving the bathing suit on the floor. As she got outside, she began pacing back and forth three times in front of the door.

As she came back in, nothing had change except that the sandy region had gotten much bigger and a beautiful gray horse stood all tacked up beside Ron, Van, and Hermione. Beside the bathing suit rack, stood a second one filled with riding gear.

"What-Were-How…It just appeared!" Ron said, his face clearly puzzled, mixed with amazement…Mixed with fear.

"Now THAT is a horse Ron!" Steph exclaimed.

For the rest of the day, they all swimed in the tropical bay, except for Steph who rode her horse most of the time. Ron was just starring in amazement, as if the imposible was happening. Hermione enjoyed swimming with the daulphins, while Van layed in the long chairs, warmed by the sun, until Hermione trough Van a wet sea sponge. Van jumped in the bay, and a water fight began. Steph untacked her horse, got changed and jumped in the water, joining the fun.

Soon enough, the sun began seting it self, and it got to dark to see, so the got changed. Steph said bye to her temporary made up horse and they all left to go to bed.


	7. Chapter 6

The next day, Potion class was first. Steph really didn't feel like facing Snape, but she had to. They made their was to class, Harry, still mad at Steph, sat quite away from her.

"Now then." Professor Snape started. "Today we will make a potion to make object disappear. No one knows were it goes, but, its certainly a very interesting potion to make, and also very difficult…" He glanced at Neville.

As the lesson got started, everything went well until Ron messed up the potion. He added to much cat hair, so the cauldron disappear, which made the potion go everywhere, causing everything it touched to vanish. Luckily, everyone stayed clear of the liquid, but table, chair, and other just vanished.

"MR WEASLEY!" Exclaimed Snape. Ron swallowed hard. "I suggest you disappear before I throw you in Mss Granger's cauldron!"

"Its not his fault!" Steph exclaimed, clearly going at Ron's defense.

"You. You better stay put, and mind you own business or else!" Snape snapped.

"Is that a threat?" Steph asked challengingly. "Because, I'm sure that professor Dumbledor will be greatly interested in hearing that one of his teacher threaten his students."

"You…" Snape started, but then he simply turned around, leaving the classroom.

"Way to go Steph!" Van exclaimed. "There goes you fear of Snape!"

"Thanks Steph," Ron laughed. "But I think I would of voluntarily jumped in Hermione's cauldron anyway…"

The whole class laughed. Harry approached.

"That was brilliant Steph!" He said. "Sorry for being such a jerk yesterday, I got carried away…"

"No, I shouldn't of said what I said, you've bin trough so much, what I said must of bin a stab through the heart. You can't believe how bad I felt…"

"Well! I guess everything is settled then! Now, I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry!" Exclaimed Hermione. Everyone headed for the great hall, tummy's rumbling.

A month went by, days passing, one after the other. Soon, December 1rst arrived. The castle was freezing. Students were wearing their winter cloaks inside when wandering the corridors. Peeve has fun starting snow ball fights during care of magical creature class, which made the Cambourg (A creature that looked very much like a cat, but had horse legs,had scales and could fly.) they were studying very mad.

"OK guys! Lesson is over. I dunno about ya, but I'm starving!" Hagrid said.

"Finally!" Ron exclaimed.

"My fingers are numb! I wont be able to eat!" Joked Van.

They all walked to the great hall, eager to eat their lunch. As they started eating owls arrived with the mail.

"Finally!" Hermione said. "The Daily Prophet has arrived!"

"Why do you subscribe to these?" Ron said. "You know they only bring bad news!"

"Exactly, and it better for us to find out first than-"

"Hey Potter!" A voice in the background said. "Looks like your on the front page again! You never told me that the mass murderer Sirius Black was your godfather! Watch out everyone! Stay clear of Harry! He may get aggressive!"

"Shut up Malfoy!" Exclaimed Van.

"What?" Asked Harry.

The five crouched over the paper and read.

_Unknown source claims that mass murderer Sirius Black may not me dead as Dumbledor affirmed._

_Yesterday, a man entered the ministry of magic saying that he had important news. The Identity of the person can not be revealed since the man in question was wearing a hood during the whole interview._

"_Sirius Black is still alive!" The man said. "I heard it from a very reliable source!"_

_Can this be true, are we still in danger? And to ad to the disturbing news the man alsow claimed the Sirius Black is the one and only godfather of…Harry Potter!_

_Now, are we safe? Is Harry Potter safe? (Read full interview- p.5)(Extended, more detailed version of article-p.9)_

"Bloody Hell Harry! What if it's true?" Ron exclaimed.

"Your not going to believe something like that Harry, are you?" Hermione added.

"Of course its not true!" Exclaimed Van.

"What do you know?" Asked Steph.

"Euh, who know were that rumor comes from? Harry, you're not going to believe this!" she lowered her voice. "Voldemort- Ron, get a grip –is still after you, he may be trying to lure you to him again, it worked last year."

"You're right…But what if it is true! What if Sirius is still alive!" Harry said, with a flicker of hope.

"Its all up to you to decide to believe it or not Harry, but, be careful, Voldemort- Stop it Ron –is not stupid. Watch out, he may be back."

And uncomfortable silence hovered over the group as they ate, Van looking particularly preoccupied. The rest of the day was pretty quiet since everyone had their own thought about the article. At the end of transfiguration, their last class, Dumbledor entered the class.

"May I excuse Vanessa and Stephanie from their class?" He asked. The two girls exchanged nervous glance.

"Of course professor." Answered Mcgonagall.

The three of them walked towards Dumbledor's office. When they entered, Dumbledor made two chairs appear and with a wave of his hand, asked them to sit.

"Now, you are here because I discovered the meaning of the book. I found out that its extremely dangerous, and I want to explain it to you, so you know how to be careful." He paused. "The book was there so that an other wizard could come through. That wizard is called Hafirgat, he's actually Voldemort's great, great grandson. He was supposed to come to help Voldemort in his attempt to take over the world."

"Voldemort had a child!" Steph exclaimed. "Who would want to-"

"Thank you." Dumbledor simply said. "He had three actually." He chuckled. "I understand you point Stephanie. But the great wizard that he his, the woman he married maybe didn't quite have the choice… But back to the book, like I said, It was a portal through time for Hafirgat. Now, the reason that everything is being written in it, is for Voldemort to be able to see everything that Hafirgat was doing, making sure that he wasn't doing anything wrong. The problem is, that since the book landed in the wrong hands, Voldemort is able to se everything that's happening with you, and now that your best of friend with Harry Potter, it can lead to trouble. Voldemort can see everything, like, Steph had found new love." Steph flushed. Dumbledor continued. "Or that Van discovered something that she wasn't supposed to." Van swallowed hard, Dumbledor kept on talking. "Now this can lead to some serious trouble, like for example, if Voldemort wanted to catch Ron for some reason, he would now know that Steph would be his weak part." Dumbledor stopped, Van knew were he was heading. "So, I want to tell you girls, be careful, until we are able to take away the other book from Voldemort, make sure that Harry doesn't said information that could be precious to him when Harry is around you. You may leave now, but Miss Savard, I would like to talk to you in private."

Steph looked over at Van with an intrigued look, and made her way to the exit.

"I have access to this book anytime, and I discovered that you saw someone that until then, I was sure was dead." Dumbledor started.

"Sirius…" Van said.

"In dead. So Voldemort found out, and like you saw in the Daily Prophet, he's already trying to get to Harry."

"What should I do then?"

"Don't tell Harry about Sirius, and when odd stuff happens, do your possible to convince Harry that it's false. That would keep him in a lot of trouble."

"OK, I'll do my best. Euh…Dumbledor, if you don't mind me asking. How do you know all of this? Like, it technically didn't happen yet."

"You know, time can be very precious, when you know how to handle it, you can find out great deals of things!"

"So, you know the end?"

"No, I don't go that far, or else, what would be worth living? If you know what's going to happen, there's no surprise, and life becomes pretty much boring. No, I prefer living life as a surprise, were you never know the end, even if you could know. I only got threw time in very urgent situation, like now."

"Oh…Ok"

"You may leave now. And like I said, be careful… Voldemort knows about this conversation, so he may try in anyway, to make you make Harry reveal things to you."

"Yes professor, I'll be careful." With that, she left. Vanessa entered the common room, were everyone were doing their homework.

"So what was that all about?" Steph asked.

"Oh, nothing much, just how to be careful, that V- you-know-who may try to make H-… him," She pointed at Harry. "Reveal to much."

"That's all, he could have told me that!" Steph exclaimed.

"I know, weird hein?" She said, not really sounding convincing. "What time is it?"

Steph looked at her watch. "5h00 o'clock, why?" She asked.

"I'm hungry, and dinner is always served at 6 o'clock…"

"Well…Do you want to go for a walk outside, we could… Talk?" She laughed.

"Sure, I need air anyway…"

The two made their way out of the castle. It was cold, but the kind of cold you didn't mind, the nice December cold. Big fluffy snowflakes were falling from above, and the dark lake was frozen over. A couple of students were ice-skating, and others were having snowball fights.

"So, we hadn't had time to talk alone much, but, what do you think of our first month in a half here?" Van started.

"I love it. But, its to perfect… It feels odd. I found everything I ever wanted here, but I still miss home…" Steph answered.

"Yea, me to. But its just a year, and its going to be a fun year! You finally have your Ron!"

"Yes, that, in really happy! And we get along so well, its scary. I hope you find someone to…"

"Yea, me to… But hey! We still have a year to go, there's plenty of time!" She paused, and out of the blue exclaimed, "I still can't get over the fact that were here! We've only bin here a month, but it feels like we've bin here all our life!"

"Maybe its because we wouldn't stop composing stories about us being here, and at the end, they got so realistic, that it really felt real!" She laughed.

"Yea, that could be it." She laughed to.

At the other end of the yard, Neville, Seamus, Ron, Harry, Collin, and Ginny were engaged in a very fun looking snowball fight. Huge snow castle had bin magically build, and both team had bewitched snowman as soldiers. Van crouched down to pick up a handful of snow.

"I don't know about you, but…" Her snow was now a ball. "That fight looks awfully fun!" With that she threw that snowball at Steph and ran to one of the castle.

"Hey!" Wait for me!

"Mind if we join you guys?" Asked Van.

"Not at all, Steph, you go on that team, Van, you stay h- AAARGGG!" Seamus caught a snowball right in the face.

They all played until it was to dark to throw well. After, they all headed for the great hall for a well-deserved Dinner.


	8. Chapter 7

Two weeks flew by, and soon, they were three days before their Christmas vacation. The five decided to stay to school since there was the Christmas dance. Plus, in three days, there was an other day at Hogsmade, they decided to use this day to buy clothe for the dance, and gifts for everyone.

In class, students were really not paying attention, their gaze fixed on the blanket of snow just waiting to be formed in a ball and thrown.

"Van…VAN…**VAN**!!" Yelled Steph

"What!!"

"Stop staring at that guy and watch your rat! Neville's snake just ate it!"

"What!"

Van looked around. They were in the great hall working of the species exchange spell. Professor Mcgonagall had dismissed class for the reason that Neville made his first snake explode. The class now smelled, covered in guts, and for some magical reason, could not be cleaned up. They all when to get changed and came back to finish what they were doing in class. Now Van was staring at a nice looking, brown haired guy, who was working alone on his guinea pig.

"Who is he? I never realized he was in our class! How dreamy!" Van said.

"Euh, maybe you didn't see him because our class counts of fifty people!" She said sarcastically.

"True…"

"But yea, he is cute…"

"STEPH!"

"What!"

"Ron! Think of Ron!"

"Hey! I never said he vas cuter that Ron, nobody looks better than Ron!" She had said a bit loud.

"Awww!" Said Harry in awes behind them. Ron was standing behind him, flushed.

"Oh… Hi Ron!" Said Steph with reddening cheeks.

Everyone laughed, including Ron and Steph. Now that Van had no more rat, she didn't had anything to practice the spell on. They spent the rest of the period taking changing turn changing Steph's guinea pig in any animal that came to mind until the pore thing was so messed up that it had a rat tail, cat legs, and a bird beak.

"Thank goodness that animal is magically created, cuz I would of protected it in a box!" Steph said.

"Or is it…" Said Harry. Steph had a moment of guilt. "OK, OK, don't worry!" He laughed. "It is magical!"

They all laughed again and the rest of the morning was spent talking about the difference between the magic and muggle world until they had to leave for care of magical creature class. Walking there, Van had a sudden thought.

"Harry, what ever happened to the D.A?" She asked.

"No one came back, or was interested…" He said.

"I am!"

"Me to!" Exclaimed Steph.

Well, I guess I could give you lessons to you two, Ron, and Hermione, they both also wanted to continue." He said.

"That would be great! And talking about the D.A. What ever happened to professor Umbridge?" Steph asked.

"Who knows… I think she's in the hospital. The centaurs got her a bit paranoid…" Ron said.

They all laughed and stopped in front of Hagrid's hut, waiting for him to come out for class.

"Good day class!" He exclaimed as he left the hut, carrying a box. "I have a project for you!"

Half the class twitched. They all knew what Hagrid's projects were like, and they really didn't want to know what was in the box…

"In here are young bleaters. I don't know how big they get, or what they eat, so your goal is going to raise them, its pretty much like your project in grade 4, with the Fire Crabs, but more advanced."

The class backed up a step, what could be worst than Fire Crabs! Hagrid opened the box.

"Common now! Come and take a look!" He said.

Seamus was first to go with Harry.

"Oh! Van! You're going to love this!" Said Harry.

Van got closer. "Cute!" She exclaimed. In the box, twenty little kittens were asleep, but, they had a rat tail instead of a normal cat tail. She bent down to pet one. Suddenly, the one she touched woke up, and as she saw her, it lost all its hair and began barking, spitting and swigging its tail left and right. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She yelled.

As she ran back, the Bleater saw Harry and started purring, its hair growing back instantly.

"Well then," Hagrid begun, "we know that they don't like girls. I guess I will assign you something else…"

"Arg! Finally something that doesn't have fangs, or breath fire, and we cant work with it!" Exclaimed Hermione.

The rest of the period, Harry and Ron were figuring what to feed the little Bleaters, while Steph, Van, and Hermione were talking about the upcoming dance.

"Ok guys!" Said Hagrid. "End of the lesson, I'll see ya tomorrow! And by then, I'll find something for you girls!"

Hermione shivered and they all walked back to the castle.

"What's our last class?" Asked Ron.

"Don't you ever have your schedule with you?" Answered Hermione.

"No."

"We have no class next."

"Oh! Yes! Harry, lets go get our broom and play a game of Quiditch!"

"That's a brilliant Ron!" Exclaimed Harry.

"Ooooh! Can someone teach me how to fly a broom?" Asked Steph.

"Sure, I'll teach ya!" Exclaimed Ron.

"I want to fly to!" Added Van.

"I'll teach you," Said Harry. "You can use the old school brooms, if you use mine, you'll just end up at the hospital with Umbridge…"

Everyone laughed. Harry and Ron ran to the school to get some brooms while the girls sat in the Quiditch stands. The boys came back caring five brooms.

"Five?" Said Hermione. "You don't expect me to play do you?"

"Common Hermy!" Said Harry.

"Don't call me that!"

"Hermy!"

"AAARRRGG!" She threw a snowball right at his face…but missed.

"Well, I guess it's better if you don't play then…"

"What do you mean! Give me that broom!" And she took an old broom from Harry's hands. "Hurry!" She said as she flew up.

Harry taught Van how to fly, and in five minutes, she could go up, steer a bit, and land without falling. Steph, on the other hand, wasn't making any progress. Ron got up on his broom and took her hand.

"There, its not so hard!" He said as they flew up.

"Your right! I can do it!" She said. They flew a bit, hand in hand. When Steph realized, she turned at Ron and he was looking right at her. She flushed and completely lost her balance.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH- OUF!" She fell in the show.

"Bloody Hell! Steph! Are you OK?" Ron exclaimed, landing his broom beside her and helping her up. Van, who was watching the scene from a distance, was squeaking like a guinea pig and wouldn't stop telling Hermione "Did you see that! DID YOU SEE THAT!"

Steph got her balance and stood up. Ron looked at her.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I-I don't know, I guess I lost my balance, that's all, riding a stick is not my thing I guess. Look, euh, I have to go, I have stuff to do." She looked at Ron for a minute, thinking, than left.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked Van, who wouldn't answer, giggling to much. After a minute, she calmed down and ran to the castle. Harry landed.

"Where is she going? Where's Steph?" He asked.

"I don't know…" He said, also heading to the castle slowly.

------

Van ran in the girls dormitory, were she found Steph.

"What was that! What was that back there!" She exclaimed, over excitedly.

"I don't know! He just looked at me, and I just looked at him, and…and…" She answered.

"Oh My God! Steph! You know how, how cute that is!"

"OK, OK, stop shaking for crying out loud!"

"I- I cant! Steph!"

Steph laughed and walked out of the room, as she did so, she bumped into Ron.

"Oh…Hi." She said.

"Euh…Hi?" He asked, strangely. "Are you ok?"

"Oh, yea, I'm fine! I…I don't know what happened, I just felt odd, I had to get in and sit a bit…"

"Oh…OK… Want to play a game of Wizard's Chest?"

"Sure!"

The rest of the night, the five decided to have a little chest tournament, and at about ten o'clock, they all went to bed.

The rest of the week before Christmas break flew by really quickly, and yes, Hagrid found the girls a creature to care for… Really ugly (that Hagrid classified as adorable) toad-like creature. They were as big as a small dog, but Hagrid told them that they were supposed to grow at the size of a sheep. Van wouldn't stop screaming every time the thing moved, plus, they wouldn't stop trying to kill each other with those horns. They had to be put in different cages, since two were killed already.

Finally, the day to Hogsmade arrived. The five all got ready to leave. Ron and Harry went their own way, they didn't want to go clothe shopping with the girls. The three walked into a very fancy witch dress shop called Mme Rosemary's Special Occasion's Dressing, called by all the R.S.O.D.

Steph stepped in, not really interested, but she promised to Van to buy something formal.

"Look at this one!" Van exclaimed.

"Hein…" Steph answered.

"You're supposed to pay attention!"

"Whatever… Yea, its pre- LOOK AT THIS ONE!" Steph pointed excitedly at a gorgeous black dress, with dark red outlines. It was long, and had no sleeves. A beautiful jacket came with it.

"Nice Steph! You actually got taste!" Van commented.

"Hey! I'm not as stupid as you may think! I'm buying it!" She looked at the price. "Or not…"

"I'll help you buy it! Its worth it, seeing you wearing a dress!"

"Oh really Thank you soooo much!"

Steph got the size that fitted her, and waited for Van to buy one for herself. Hermione didn't need one, She still had the one from year four that still fitted her. As they left the store, Steph turned around.

"You two leave, I need to buy Christmas present, you are not allowed to see!"

"Ok" They both said at the same time. Van went her was, Hermione her own.

Van tried to think of s good Christmas gift for Steph, and then she had an idea, a book all about Unicorns.

"Excuse me!" She said to the nearest wizard. "Were could I find the library?"

"Right around the corner miss, and you better hurry! It closes in fifteen minutes!"

"Thanks!" And with that she ran away. As she turned the corner, she bumped into someone. "I'm so sorry!" She said. "I wasn't looking were I was going."

"Its ok," said a young teenage boy's voice. Van looked up, it was the guy she was looking at in the great hall a couple of days ago. "My name is Kertis." He said.

"Me, Vanessa, but call me Van."

He just stood there. "Euh…Mind if I hang out with you? I'm kind of alone…" He asked, a bit shyly.

"No, not at all! I', doing some Christmas shopping for some friends."

"That's great!" He said.

They walked to the library, and van asked for a good book on Unicorns. The librarian gave her a beautiful book. Everything on Unicorns was in there, and all the images were animated, it was amazing.

"Perfect!" She said. "I'll take it!"

"You friend likes Unicorns?" Kertis asked.

"Yes, a lot!"

They walked out of the store, and spent the rest of the day together. Van was really starting to like this guy, and she had the impression that him to.

"Well, I muss get going," He said. "I had a great time with you!"

"Yea, me to! I hope we see each other again!"

"Yea, that would be cool." He said, and with that he left as quickly as she had meat him.


	9. Chapter 8

The day of the Christmas dance got sooner and sooner, and still, Van and Steph didn't manage to find a date yet. Steph new who she wanted to go with, but, she didn't have the guts to ask. Harry and Hermione decided to go together.

"Common Steph! Ask him, you know you want to! And beside, he likes you too, so he wont say no!" Van said to Steph as they got their Christmas present wrapped. "Turn around, I have to wrap yours." She added.

"Ok." She turned around. "I know I should ask, but, its… Its not something I do everyday, it…its not me!" She laughed.

"Well, you have to change!"

"Ok, look, if he doesn't ask me tomorrow, I'll ask him!"

"Good, but you know, the sooner the better, what if an other girl ask him before you?"

Steph took her hand and did the motion of cutting someone's head off.

"Ok," Van said, "Clear enough…"

The next day passed by quickly, and still, no sign of Ron. Finally, Steph had enough and decided to go and ask him. She recruited all he courage, and headed out of the common room to find Ron. She found him soon enough. As she turned the corner, she spotted him talking to Pavartie. Steph hid behind a statue and listened.

"Ron do you want to go the dance with me?" Asked Parvartie. Steph's heart started to beat faster. Right at the moment Ron was going to answer, Peeves and Sir Nicolas entered the corridor in front of Steph, fighting loudly. She could not hear the rest of the conversation. As the two ghosts left trough the other was, she could make out the end of Ron and Parvartie's chat.

"Thank you so much Ron! I'm so happy!" She said.

"No trouble, no one asked yet anyway." He answered.

Pain like Steph never felt shot thorough her heart. She got out and walked back to the common room, all hopes crushed.

"What's with the face Steph?" Ask Van as Steph entered the common room. She didn't answer, she just walked upstairs to her bed. Van got up and fallowed her. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Its over…Ron is going to the dance with Parvartie…"

"WHAT!?"

"I…I heard it when I went to ask Ron…" Steph looked at Van with watery eyes. "You were right…"

"Oh Steph…I'm so sorry… You…You could go with Seamus?"

"No, I'm not going anymore. I'm going to return the dress next visit to Hogsmade…"

"Steph!"

"Leave me alone…"

With that, Van left with one idea in mind, she was going to go and have a little talk with Ron…

Steph left the common room later that night to go eat, she saw that she was alone, and glad to. But just then, the boys dormitory door opened and Ron came out.

"Steph! I need to talk to you!" He exclaimed.

"Leave me alone." Steph said.

"No, its really important!" He jogged to catch up. "Look, I think there has been a misunderstanding." Steph stopped walking and turned around to face Ron.

"Like!?"

"I'm not going to the dance with Pavartie! I…I was kind of hoping…You would…You know…Ask me…" He flushed a bit. "Van told me what you heard."

"Your not…."

"No, she asked me, and I said…well, that I was already going with someone, so I told her that I'd ask Seamus for her, since nobody asked him."

"So… Who are you going with then, you said you were with someone!"

"Well…Do you want to go to the dance with me…" He asked hesitantly.

"…Of course!" Steph jumped and hugged Ron, but jumped back instantly. "Sorry…"

"Its…Its ok." He said, probably even more flushed than Steph. "You want to go eat I'm starving."

They both walked to the great hall, talking. Steph saw that Ron wasn't himself.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." He answered. They walked a bit more. Just before entering the corridor leading to the great hall, Ron stopped walking.

"Ron?" Steph asked.

"I have something to tell you…Well, more to ask you." He said, he sounded really not sure.

"Go on…" Steph said.

"Do…Are you…Doyouwannagooutwithme?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do…" He breathed deeply. "Do you want to… To go out with me?"

"Oh Ronald!" She smilled.

"Is… Is that a yes?"

"Yes!"

"Oh thank you!" He leaned forward to hug her. All the stress seemed to have left him. He didn't walk like a board anymore, and he was actually breathing now. As soon as Ron's arms wrapped around her…

"Well well!" A male's voiceexclaimed behind them. "Crabe, Goyle, come and look at this! I always new the Weasley were pathetic wizards, but, loving a muggle born?"

"Shut up Malfoy, If you want to insult Steph, you better not do it when I'm around!"

"Ha! And what are you going to do!?

Ron walked up to Malfoy and stopped right in from of him, threatening him with his eyes.

"I dare you…." Malfoy said.

BANG! Ron aimed a punch right at Draco's face, throwing him to the ground.

"I had it with you Malfoy, I had it with all of you! From now on, I swear I'm not going to let myself being pushed around!" Ron said, he turned around and left for the great hall, leaving a black eyed Malfoy behing him.

"God that guy has a hard head!" He exclaimed as they turned the corner were Malfoy could not hear them. Ron was massaging his hand.

"Wow! Ron, That was…I mean! WOW!" Steph said.

"I've had it with him!" He said.

Steph laughed "I wish that Draco's dad could have been there to see his son getting beat up by a _Weasley_" She said the last word exactly as Draco would of said it.

"That would have been brilliant!" Ron laughed.

They reached the great hall as Van and the other were leaving. She smiled as she saw them together. Steph wanted to say what just happened, but that would of lead to said that she was going out with Ron now, which she didn't want to say yet.

"So, Are you two going to the dance together?" She asked.

"Yep!" Steph said. Ron looked relieved that Steph didn't say more.

"Awwww!" She exclaimed, she jumped forward to hug Steph. But Steph was faster and dogged it, laughing.

As they all headed to a table Ron whispered to Steph.

"What would she of done if you would of told her that we are going out?"

"I prefer not to imagine…" Steph laughed, "With Van, you have to tell her a news like that when she's busy and not paying that much attention, or else, just by her squealing, the whole school would find out…"

Ron laughed.

"What are you saying back there?" Van asked.

"Nothing much, we were just comparing you to a guinea pig…" Steph said.

"That's mean, its not my fault!"

"So, its funny anyway!"

"Shut up!"

"Sqqeeeeeeeeeeek!" Steph mocked.

"That's not true!"

Ron laughed, Steph looked over at him and smiled.

"No…No way! STEPH! RON!" Van exclaimed over excitedly. For five minute, Van did those incomprehensive squeaks, and phrases. Both Steph and Ron just stood there looking at her.

"Told ya…" Steph said. They both couldn't take it anymore and laughed to whole way back to the common room.

--------

The day of the dance finally arrived. Van was so happy that she was almost hugging everyone she crossed, she even hugged Flitwick, which made her pretty embarrassed. Steph on the other hand was getting more and more nervous.

The minutes went by slowly, Van even had a fight with Lavander's clock… But eventually, the time arrived to get ready, Van ran to the common room to get Steph who was playing a game of wizard's chess with Ron and Harry.

"STEPH!" Van shouted.

"What!?"

"Time to get ready!!!!!!"

"Hein? There's still 2 hours and a half before the dance!"

"GET-OVER-HERE! NOW!!!!!!!!"

Steph looked over at the guys. "I have to go, or I'll loose my head….Ron, I don't think you want to dance with a headless girl…" And with that, she ran to the dormitory. As she walked in, she felt as if she entered a salon. Van had a shit load of makeup scattered everywhere.

"MAKEUP TIME!" Van exclaimed.

"no…NO…**NO!!!!"**

-----

Ron looked over at Harry, having heard Steph screaming he said.

"Bloody hell! The poor thing is going to die…"

"What do you mean?" Harry said.

"Lets just say that Steph really doesn't like makeup..." He laughed.

-----

"Steph, stop moving!" Van said. She turned to Hermione and said sarcastically, "can you bring the anesthetic material here please?"

"Ok, just a minute!" She answered

"What!" Steph panicked, obviously not hearing the sarcasm.

"Oh calm down, AND STOP MOVING! You'll loose an eye!"

Two hours, and seventeen minutes later, they were ready.

"Finally!" Steph huffed in pure relief, barging out of the dormitory. "OXIGEN! Oh…Hi Ron!"

"…" He was speechless.

Steph was wearing form fitting strapless dress. The color was as black as Harry's hair and when she moved it gave away a certain glow to it. The outline of the dress was crimson red, it sparkled in the flickering fire and the shall was the same color as the dress except it was made out of silk. Her hair was richly made up into a bun and soft long ringlets felt, outlining her face. Her makeup was light and looked natural.

Van stepped out of the girls dormitory and stopped beside Steph. She looked from Ron to Steph, wondering what was happening and something in her head clicked. They were having one of those speechless moment. She squealed mentally and cough to announced her presence.

"Oh, hey…Van…" Steph said blushing lightly. Van was wearing a halter dress. The collar was in 'V' shape and the color was a pearly scream. The corset was form fitting and the skirt was puffy, touching the floor gently.

Steph walked down the stairs as gracefully as she could, keeping on telling herself not to fall. Of course faith was against her and on the second step, she tripped on her own foot.

"Ahhhh!" she yelled out until someone caught her. She looked upwards and saw Ron staring back at her with worry. "I'm ok!" she said still in his arms. Van smiled happily, seeing her friend with her dream guy, like they never thought it could be possible.

Hermione finally came down, followed by Harry. Now that they were all ready, they made there way to the ballroom.


	10. Chapter 9

McGonagall was standing in front of the great hall's door, waiting to open it exactly at seven o'clock. At six fifty one, people were really getting annoyed, but finally, the big door opened and everyone could see the beautifully decorated great hall.

The candles, which usually kept the great hall well lit, were barely burning, only a faint glow were coming out if them. The immense tables which usually took all the room were replaced by several little tables big enough for four people, but there was the occasional two seat table.

"Common guys!" Van exclaimed, running to the dance floor.

"Already!" Said Steph, who clearly wasn't in the mood for dancing.

"Your at a dance Steph!"

"And?"

"Common!"

"Fine, but not long, I can't dance… Trust me…"

The music started, Van danced while looking around to see who showed up. Neville was with Ginny again, Seamus was with Parvartie, of course. Draco entered the room with a girl from Slytherin that she didn't know the name. Crabe and Goyle on the other hand looked both alone…Or together.

After the third song, Van was getting thirsty, and as she turned around, the saw that Steph had sit down with Ron. She decided to go and get some drinks for them and herself. As she headed for the drink stand, she saw Kertis sitting alone, and she decided to go and greet him.

"Hey Kertis! What are you doing all alone?" She asked.

"I'm sitting…" He said, depressed like. And then he had an idea. "You want to go to the dance with me? Well, I mean, the rest of the dance?"

Van's heart jumped in joy, "Of course!" She turned around and looked at Steph and Ron. "I was just getting some drinks for me and my friends, you come along!"

"Oh thanks! I was so bored, I was sure to die out here."

Van laughed. They grabbed 4 butter beers and headed for the table. They sat down and Van asked,

"Where's Harry and Hermione?"

"At the table over there, talking with Neville and Ginny." Ron answered, pointing at a nearby table.

"This is Kertis." Van added as she noticed that Steph was staring. She smiled at Van when she remembered that this was the guy Van once stared at.

"Hi" Ron said at the same time as Steph.

The four talked until Van decided that it "was time" to dance again… Steph hated dancing, and as she discovered, Ron to. They couldn't just go and sit, because, well, Van would find them and just get them up again…

"I have an idea," whispered Ron in Steph's ear. "Fallow me."

They both zigzagged thorough the crowd, technically, when you thought about it, running away from Van…

"Were are we going?" Steph asked.

Ron laughed, "Away from all that madness!"

Steph laughed and fallowed. Meanwhile, Van was looking everywhere for the two.

"Were are they!" She exclaimed. "There not sitting, so they must be somewhere in here!"

"If you ask me," Said Kertis. "It looks very much as if your watching them, like, REALY keeping an eye on them. There the same age as you and I! Give them a break, you told me they were a new couple, shouldn't they need quality time alone!" He laughed.

"Well, er…"

"Exactly! Now, forget about them, and let just have some fun."

"…You right, I fell stupid now…" She laughed, and they both headed to the tables to rest and talk.

-------

"There!" Said Ron.

They had just entered the room of requirement. It was of course Christmas decorated, and a fire was burning in the fireplace, were several comfy looking couch were facing. Fairies were flying there in there, adding final touched to the decoration, which made the room even more splendid looking.

"I asked for a nice room to chat, but, common! This is ridiculous, it looks like a common room!" He added.

"Well, I find it nice." She said, heading to a couch to take a seat. Ron fallowed her, and they talked for a while.

"I just thought of something," Ron started. "During the spring break. We're allowed to go home, to see our family, and well – er – would you like to come over to my place, and meet Fred and George, which you seem to really want to meet! And then you could meet…Mum…"

"How do you think she'll react? You know, to the fact that you're going out with me?"

"I don't know, its ether Van's reaction, which I hope not… Or just be cool with it, with is a really small probability…"

There was an other quiet moment, rather odd quiet moment.

"Soooo… Do you miss you time, I mean in the future?"

"Not that much, sure, I wouldn't mind seeing my family, but, other than that I'm cool with it."

There was a really awkward moment, she realized that she was alone, in a room with Ron. Its not that she didn't enjoy his company, it just felt awkward. She decided to break this silent moment by making a comment on the surrounding. She looked up at the sealing, A little fairy came at attached a mistletoe over her head.

"Oh, look, a mistletoe! I think their so p-…" She just realized. She looked at Ron. His face was getting closer, much to close…

----

"Were are they! Now its been a whole hour since I haven't seen them!" Van said.

"Who?" Asked Kertis who had not been paying attention to her words.

"Steph and Ron!"

"Not that again! Let it go!"

"I want to seen them together, their so cute!"

"OK…"

"Never mind… Oh look! There's Harry and Hermione, lets go say hello!"

"Euh…"

"Euh what!?"

"Look, Malfoy is there I don't want to face him right now…"

"Is Malfoy being a brat on you to?"

"No, we talk sometimes its just…Look, that's a good song, lets dance!"

"But-"

Kertis pulled Van to the dance floor, leaving her speechless. After a few minutes she couldn't take it anymore.

"Kertis, I want to sit down!" She said. She saw him stretch his neck to see if Draco was still there.

"Draco is still at that table!"

"So what!"

"OK, OK, fine, go and sit, I'll…I'll go and fetch some drinks."

"Thank you!" And with that she found two empty seats close to Malfoy's table.

"Well well, look who it is!" Draco said. He sat in front of Van, and his two massive friends sat at each side of her.

"What do you want?" Van shot at him.

"You were sitting out here all alone, I though it would be good keep you company."

"I don't need your _company_ Malfoy. My friend has gone to get some drinks, and he'll be back soon enough."

"He's taking awfully long don't you think? He's probably ditched you! Ha! Who would what to hang around with… with _you_?"

"Well, him! And when he'll come back, he'll show you!"

"I still say he ditched you."

Van didn't want to believe his words, but she was beginning to worry, 5 minutes to get drinks was awfully long… _There must be a long lineup_, she though, _yea, that's bound to be it._ Right then she saw him! He was standing in the crowd, staring at Malfoy hesitantly.

"I don't believe it! I don't Bloody believe it!" She exclaimed.

"What now?"

"He… What am I doing with you anyway!" She leaped to her feet. "Before I go, your makeup is starting to fade, I can start to make out your black eye." She bent a little closer. "Weasley really did a great job!" She could see him flush with humiliation, and anger. "I have to go" Van continued. She pulled a little bottle of cover-up and threw it to Draco. "This should do it!"

"You bloody-" He started.

"Well I have to go, Kertis is waiting for me." With that she spun around.

Malfoy stood there, a frown growing in his face. "Kertis?" He mumbled fallowing Van with his gaze.

Van met with Kertis, her triumphant smile leaving her face alarmingly fast.

"What's up with you! You didn't even come back! You didn't even get the drinks! You-"

"You don't even know me!" And he turned around and left. Leaving Van alone in the middle of the dance floor.

----

Steph made her way back the common room with Ron. The walk there was rather quiet. Steph spoke to break the silence.

"I wonder what Van is doing right now. She probably really mad the we left." She laughed.

"Well, she had, euh… what's is name?"

"Kertis?"

"Right, Kertis. So, she wasn't alone."

"True. Dragon's Scales." She added as they reached the fat lady's portrait.

"Well, I'll see ya tomorrow Steph, I'm very tired. I had a great night by the way."

"Yea, me to."

There was a little uncomfortable moment, the Ron bent over and kissed her on the cheek with a hug.

"Good night." Steph said. She walked up to the dormitory, straight to her bed and layed down in it with a smile.

"Someone had a good time." A voice said.

"Whoa!" Steph jumped. "Oh, hi Van, I didn't see you. Yea, I had a great night. How about you?"

"Normal, not ama… Steph, are you listening?!"

"Hein, oh! Sorry."

"Are you ok? What happened?"

"Nothing!" Steph answered, with a bit to much enthusiast. Then she flushed.

"No, it cant be! He kissed you!!!"

"…"

"AWWWWWWWWWWWW!" And the squealing begun.

"Van, shut up. I have more news, good new."

"Oh!!!! What tell me tell me tell me!"

"He invited me over to his house in spring break!"

"OOOOOOOOOOH!!!!! Lucky lucky lucky!! That's great!"

Fore the rest of the night, the girls chatted happily, and Van was so joyfull that she had forgotten about her little fight Kertis. She decided that she would try and find him tomorrow and try to talk things out.


	11. Chapter 10

Van walked to the window beside her bed, and discovered that a fresh blanket of snow covered the soil that morning. The Giant Squid was making himself a hole in the ice, and as her gaze turned to Hagrid's hut, she saw that he was holding on to a couple of leashes which seamed to be attached to little eagles with horse backside. They were as big as a medium sized dog. The baby Hippogriffs seamed to not enjoy being under a leash, but Hagrid obviously did not realize it. Van ran downstairs to tell the others.

"Guys! Guess what! Hagrid got himself a new litter of Hippogriffs!"

"Oh no!" Exclaimed Hermione. "He got banned of owning anymore Hippogriffs since Buckbeak attacked Malfoy, Lucius made sure of it… I hope he won't get himself in any more trouble…"

"Can we go see him?" Asked Steph, who obviously wanted to see a baby Hippogriff from up close.

"Why not?" Said Harry. "We promised him a visit this time soon anyway!"

"Well lets go then!" Exclaimed Ron.

The five made their way to the entrance hall and ran out the door as peeves was apparently thinking that throwing pieces of armor was a good idea. The sky was bright blue, and compared to the other days, the air was nice and mild. A couple of student were walking calmly on the side on the dark lake, but other were having fun throwing food in the hole that the Giant Squid had done. The food would hover pointlessly on the surface, then a giant tentacle would rise out of it and snatch the food.

"Hey Hagrid!" exclaimed Harry.

"Hi ter Arry!" Hagris answered. "I'ave somethin ta show ya!"

"I think I know what it is, Hippogriff cubs?"

"How do ya know?!" Hagrid asked, looking worried. "Who told ya?!"

"No one, Van saw themfrom her dormitory window."

"Did ya?" He looked worry again. "Do you know if anyone else saw? I…eu…"

"Hagrid, Are you allowed to own them?" Hermione asked.

"Well I, heu… They came at a good deal ya know… And the pore things! Without a mummy to take care of'em! I needed to do somethin!"

"You don't whant to get yourself in trouble Hagrid! If Malfoy finds out, he'll use any opportunity to sack you!" Ron said.

"You don't go and worry about me you lot, I'ave a good, well idden place for'em. Do ya wanna come and see'em?" Hagrid asked.

"Yes!" Steph exclaimed.

"Well come along then!"

They all headed towards Hagrid's hut. For a minute, the five were horror struck when they thought the Hagrid had hidden them in is house, but Hagrid came out with some dead rats. "I'ave ta feed'em." He said. They headed in the dark forest, fallowing a trail that was quite difficult to walk upon. Ron started to say little incomprehensive squeals when Hagrid took the direction towards Aragog's tunnel, but after about 10 minutes of walking, they changed their direction towards a clearing that could be seen thorough the thick foliage. Soon enough, faint, high pitched Buckbeak like sounds could be heard. At the opposite end of the clearing, a house sized cage was standing, obviously, Hagrid had built it in a hurry. The cage looked as if it would fall any second now. Hagrid, who had seen the teens' expression said,

"I know its not much ta look at, but I added a re-enforcement spell ta make it as solid as steal!"

"They look furious Hagrid! Are you sure their used to being captive?" Hermione said.

"Well, you know, they'll be fine, I just' ave to train'em to be used ta human contact. It may be a bit rough, even Buckbeak wasn't that wild when I got'im with the others."

Steph who had bent down close to the cage was staring in admiration.

"There so cute! Hope I'll be able to touch one eventually!"

"Well, not now, or you'll loose a finger."

One of the Hippogriffs, a bright chestnut one, took a couple of steps closer towards Steph. Apparently intrigued in the candy cane that Stephhad beensucking.

"Well that a good step!" Hagrid exclaimed. He threw a dead rat at Steph. "Try to feed it to'em. The more people he gets use to, the better." He looked around. "Do you kids wanna try? I'ave plenty o'rats!"

Ron and Van stepped back in disgust, but Harry and Hermione each grabbed one by the tail and stepped closer to the cage. Soon enough, three other Hippogriffs were stepping closer. A black one was walking towards Hermione, and the two other one were heading towards Harry. Steph looked at the back of the cage were a little gray one was laying in the corner.

"What's wrong with this one Hagrid?" She asked.

"I dunno, she's always by herself, the runt of the litter I reckon." He answered.

Steph got up and stepped closer to the little gray one.

"Here you go girl, your allowed to have one to are you!" She said, stretching out her hand to give out the rat. As she did so, the chestnut one, who had gotten jealous for the fact that Steph had left him for the little gray one, jumped in the air, biting the gray Hippogriffs wing savagely, which caused a bleeding wound to appear.

"What the!? Get off!" Steph exclaimed, throwing the rat in the cage, away from the little gray female. "Hagrid! You have to get her out of there, there going to kill her!"

"Do ya think so? I'll go in and get er then, I can keep her in my house until she gets better." He said.

"Are you sure it a good Idea Hagrid?" Asked Van.

"She's small." He simply said. He walked into the cage, heading towards the gray hippogriff, and without a fight, got the collar on. He led her out of the cage without a fuss.

"She's awfully quiet Hagrid, don't you think?" Steph said.

"I know, I gave er some remedial potion this morning. I think she's sick, but I don't know what it is." He answered.

As he closed the door of the cage behind him, Steph walked towards the Hippogriff. She quietly placed a hand on her head, petting her gently.

"The poor…" She simply said. "What are you going to call her Hagrid?"

"I didn't think about it, what do ya think guys?"

"I like Hope, cuz that's all she got…" Said Hermione.

"Yea, but its to common…" Added Van. "How about Shreya? Its Indian for lucky?"

"I like it!" Steph said. "Hagrid?"

"Me to, its original I suppose."

Steph had become more serious all of a suddent. She walked over to Van.

"Can I ask you something?" She said.

"What would you say if I had a new pet…I mean, I would give you our owl."

"But…Why?" Van asked, confused. Steph stepped away.

"Hagrid? Which of these Hippogriff is your favorite?" She asked.

"I dunno, I realy like the white one, quite a character let me tell you! Why?"

"What do you think of this one here, I mean, Shreya?"

"Hein? Well, I like her, but she's not my favorite, she to shy ya know… Why?"

"Oh…Nothing…"

On the way back, Steph seemed preoccupied by something…

----

While Steph was out for a walk with Ron, Van thought it was a suitable time to talk to Kertis. She walked down the stone steps in the entrance hall and headed to the great hall, the only place were she thought she could find him. Soon enough, she spotted him.

"Kertis?" She called.

He turned around.

"Oh Hi!" He exclaimed, taking Van by surprise. She had expected much worst. "Look, about yesterday-"

"Yea about yesterday-"

"I think I over reacted a bit." They both finished together.

"Well then, that's settled!" Van laughed.

"Yea. I wasn't myself yesterday… That's all." He said.

"You know, lets forget about it, want to go for a walk or something?" Van asked.

"Sure, I need some sun, my common room is not what there is best when you want the sun…"

"About that," Van started as they stepped outside. "What house are you in?"

"I'm… Oh look! Is that you friend atHagrid's?"

"Yea... We just came back from there...odd"

"I like that teacher, I don't know why the other Slytherin don't, he's great, and the creature that he makes us learn about are actually interesting!"

"Your right, although sometime he takes to much of a risk…"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh nothing…"

The rest of the day was pretty relax, but for some students, it meant homework. School was starting in a week, and some, including Harry, Ron and apparently Steph which Van was sure she did finish everything, waited at the last minute do it all.

"Didn't you do all you homework before Christmas?" Van asked Steph.

"Yea." She answered.

"Then why locked up in that library all the time when you could be outside?"

"I have stuff to do… For me."

"Oh…" Van didn't insist in knowing more, Steph definitely looked like she wasn't going to speak.

After Christmas, Van found that she spent much more time with Kertis, although she was scared that when term would start, all this would be over. And to top her worry, Steph seamed strange, she looked always preoccupied with something, and she was often at the library. She new that Ron went often there with her, so Van decided to ask Ron what was up.

"So, Ron, How is it going?" She asked.

"Real good. You?"

"Good to. Look, have you seen Steph?"

"She's at the library, doing some research."

"Oh, for what. I mean, what class?"

"No class, just for herself."

"About what?"

"I'm not sure, she's often on books about magical beast. I saw her read about Hippogriffs to, I think she really likes Hippogriffs… Much better then horesses."

"Horses Ron."

"Oh… Anyway, I have to go, my potion homework needs work, see ya later Van."

"Ya, later Ron."

Van thought that that little conversation was revealing, but not enough though. She decided to drop the matter anyway, New Year was approaching, and so was school, more important thing were to be thought of, like exams.

The day of New Year Harry and Ron sneaked in the School kitchen and asked Dobby for some food and butter beers, so the party was long and loud. It took end at two in the morning when professor McGonagall arrived in the room in her Scottish grown telling them to all go to bed, a bit abruptly…

The next day, the day before school started Van caught Steph reading a book about Hippogriffs in the common room.

"Hippogriffs?" Van asked.

"Hein?" Steph said, lifting her eye, peering at Vanover the book's pages.

"Never mind. Talking about book, did you like the one I bought you? Did you finish it already?" Van asked curiously.

"Ya, your book is great! I, well, I read the first couple of pages anyway…"

"Well would you of rather wanted me to buy you one about Hippogriffs?"

"No no! The Unicorns are great! I just have a sudden interest in Hippogriffs, that's all…" She answered, jumping back in the reading of her book.


	12. Chapter 11

"What's our first class?" Asked Van.

"I'm pretty sure its charm." Answered Hermione.

"Yea, its charm." Confirmed Harry.

The five of them walked to Charm class. Professor Flitwick had told them before end of term that they were to learn how to use their magic to do house old chores. And as said, the lesson was completely dedicated to learn how to make their broom sweep the floor alone.

Van had it right in her. She was the best of the five for that. Hermione could just not get the broom to push the dust pile in the garbage can. Harry and Ron weren't making any progress, their broom would hover for a moment, and with a loud "tud" it would fall to the ground. Steph managed to do it at the last 10 minutes of the class, which frustrated her since the only reason she couldn't do it is because she didn't say the incantation right.

"Do we really have to go to divination?" Complained Ron at the end of the lesson.

"Ronald! Don't tell me your thinking of skipping class after 3 long week of vacation!" Exclaimed Hermione.

"No, I just don't feel like hearing Trelawney's story about me dying prematurely attacked by biting teacup…"

"Why do you still take that class anyway, its aload a of rubbish!"

"Oh yea, and ancient ruins is much better, hearing about the story of a piece ofrock the size of a Knut."

Its not like that Ron! You-"

"Will you stop it you two!" Exclaimed Harry. "Hermione, your class is that way by the way.

Hermione, which was so caught up in her fight with Ron, didn't realized that she had missed her turn to the right corridor. So they each took their right way to their class, Van and Hermione to ancient ruins and Ron, Harry, and Steph to divination.

"So, Van, how is it going, you know, you and Kertis?" Hermione asked Van.

"Very well. He asked me out on valentines day!" She answered.

"That's super! And what house is he in? Surely not in Griffindor."

"I don't know, every time I ask him, he changes the subject!"

"That's surely interesting, its like he doesn't want you to know…"

"Yea…"

Van spent the rest of the day thinking about Kertis, which stretched to the rest of the week. Soon enough, two weeks had passed and they had their first potion class since the beginning of term.

"Now, In this lesson, you will all come to the front to present you essay that you should of finished for today." Said Snape looking at everyone, daring them to say that they haven't done it. "Hermione Granger, You come up first, now!"

Hermione's presentation went quite well, then Draco was called, after his it was Neville. Harry fallowed(Which he could expect to get an "F", Snape asked him the most difficult question he could ask a student. Even a "T" would be not so surprising…) after,

"Kertis Malfoy!"

Van's head spun around so fast that she was sure to have broken it. _Malfoy…Malfoy! And a Slytherin! Why didn't he tell me, Kertis…Kertis Malfoy…_Van thought. Harry, Ron, Steph, Hermione all looked around at the same time to see her reaction. They were as shocked as she was. Why did no one realize that he wasin Slytherin, before? probably because they didn't pay attention to him. And a Malfoy, they would of never thought it, he was so…not malfoyish. Nice, not arrogant, well, the whole opposite of a Malfoy.

During the whole presentation, Kertis did not look at Van once. She was trying to make eye contact, but failed. At the end of class she ran after him. When she reached him, she pushed him in an empty class room to talk undisturbed.

"Slytherin!" Van exclaimed, "Malfoy? What's that all about! Why didn't you tell me!"

"Why? So you could hate me!?!" Kertis shot back at her.

"No! I don't care which house your in, I'm mad because you didn't tell me! And, and… That why you didn't want to come and sit with me at the dance, Draco was there, and of course, you didn't what him to se you with a _mudblood, _a_ Muggle born_ or even a _Giffindor! _Its all about your little reputation as a Slytherin, is it?!"

"Its…Its not it! You don't understand I… Ok, I'll tell you everything you what to know ok."

"Its about time…"

"Look, letspipe down and sit down ok."

"Right…Sorry, lets sit, I really want to know." They found a couple of chairs at the back of the room and sat down.

"OK, here it goes, I didn't what to be seen with you because of Draco, your right with that, but not because of my reputation with him, but because if his connection with me…" Kertis Started.

"You mean, you're related?" Van asked.

"Isn't is obvious! Were both Malfoy's. Even the Weasley's are connected to us somehow, there are few purebloods left, and it really hard to be not related to each other… Scary really…"

"Tell me about it…" Van interrupted. Kertis had a little laugh.

"So, I'm Draco's cousin. And if he would have seen me with you, he would of told my dad for sure! And my dad is as _Malfoy_ as they come. I was bound to be in trouble. He would do anything for me not to see you again, even change me school!"

"That's terrible!" Van exclaimed.

"Tell me about it. So their basically controlling my love life, a bit more and they chose my future wife!"

"You tell them! Tell them that you love a _mudblood_ and that there's nothing they can do about it!"

"You don't know my dad… He's terrifying when he wants to… Look, I really don't mind that were going out, like, I love you, but we have to make sure that nether Draco or his friends- well, we have to make sure that no Slytherin sees us."

"OK, its going to be a-" She looked around her, suspicious like, "James Bond like relationship."

"James Bun?"

"Oh never mind! A muggle thing." She said with a little laugh.

Van hummed the James Bond theme song as they left the room together, their relationship better than ever now that they, well, that Kertis revealed his _identity_.

----

"What took you so long!?" Exclaimed Steph as Van arrived late to care of magical creature class.

"I have a talk with Kertis." Van answered. Steph had a painful look. "No, it didn't go bad. As a matter of fact, it went great! I know him much more better now!" Van finished.

"Really?" Steph looked intrigued. "Go on."

"Well, I learned stuff like, Kertis is Draco's cous-"

"WHAT!" Steph exclaimed, dropping her toad thing. She managed to catch it before its escape in the forest.

"Ah! Vanessa! Ter ya are, I thought ya were sick!" Exclaimed Hagrid, who suddenly became aware that Van had arrived because on Steph's scream.

The two could not continue their conversation because of the fact that caring for their creature revealed itself as a more demanding task than they thought. At the end of the lesson, the five headed for the Great Hall to eat a well-deserved lunch. Van had almost lost an eye, and Ron his whole arm(as he was holding the rat he was going to feed the "toad", it jumped up and grabbed the whole arm with the rat. Luckily, Hagrid was close.), which he was still in shock.

"Look! Mail!" Informed Van as they ate.

A great black owl landed in front of Hermione, handing over a copy of the Daily Prophet. She paid the owl and it flew away.

"No way! No bloody way!" Exclaimed Hermione.

"What!?" The four all said at the same time.

Hermione pushed the news paper in front of them, letting them read the front page article.

_**Robbery at the Ministry of Magic**_

_Yesterday, at the Ministry of Magic library, three cloaked figures entered. "It was horrible, I swear real death eaters!" Said Mr. Booklice, who was working at the library that day. "They asked me on a book about human transfiguration, I told them no of course! It's in the restricted section, only people with a note singed by Mr. Fudge himself can have access to these books! So they finished by jinxing me! It was horrible!" He admitted. Why a book on human transfiguration? A trick from the dark lord? Can we trust our best friend anymore; will they end up being terrible death eaters?_

"_I really didn't see them come in." Informs Mr. Iseyou, who was on guard duty that night. "How could they come in without being seen? The ministry is heavily surveyed since the last entry on the Dark Lord."_

_What's going to happen next? _(For a more detailed interview with Mr. Booklice and Iseyou, turn to page 4)(Ten ways to see if you friend is a transfigured Death Eater by Imnot Transformed, starts at page 10)

"What do you think its for?" Ron asked Harry.

"How should I know…nothing good I reckon." He answered.

Hermione, who had turned to page 10 out of curiosity looked over at the four.

"Rubish!" She said laughing. "Listen to this: Way number one, ask your friend to eat dragon blood, if he twitches and dies, its was your real friend. Way number six, ask your friend this question Are you a Death Eater? . If the answer is yes, he's definitely a Death Eater."

The five of them burst in laugher, Ron took the paper from Hermione and read on.

"Who would be stupid enou-" He said, interrupted by Seamus.

"Dean! Are you a Death Eater?" He said.

"What! No!" Dean Answered.

"Seamus?" Ron called. "You surely don't believe this rubbish!"

"Of course not! But hey, its worth trying!" He laughed. "He's always weird!"

"Who isn't…" Ron finished, sarcastically. "Harry, Put your thumb on your nose and say I am not a Death Eater If you turn red, your one, if green, you safe." He paused. "It says here that unfortunately, the color you take is permanent…"

-----

A week passed, with no more news of the Death Eater robbery. Harry's mood was getting more and more gloomy. He seemed quieter and less joyful. Obviously, the robbery had cut right through him. But the mid term exams were in two days, which added to the atmosphere of the school. Soon enough, the first exam day was here, and the five barely talk between exams. Finally, the first day ended, and students could relax for the after noon.

"So how went your practical section of herbologie?" Randomly asked Neville to Van and Steph who were studying Potion.

"Well…I guess…" Steph answered. "I totally forgot how to properly feed the Carnivorus Folianaros. I almost lost my hand."

"That's not so bad," Van Started.

"Not so bad!" Exclaimed Steph.

"I dropped the bucket of dead flies on myself, five Carnivorus Folianaros who happened to be close by jumped out of their pots and ran after me. I climbed in the nearest tree, which happened to be home to a family of Doxies…"

"Oh…" Said Neville and Steph at the same time, before exploding in uncontrollable laughter.

"Oh my! I forgot, I have to do something…Important…" Steph Exclaimed.

"I'll go with you, I need to stretch those legs anyway." Said Van getting up.

"NO! Euh, I mean no, Its alright, you stay here and watch… Watch Neville, he doesn't look to good does he." Said Steph before leaving in a hurry.

A panicked look appeared in Neville's face.

"What does she mean, I…I…Van?" He said, worried.

"Your fine Neville," Van started, "its Steph that you should be worried about…"

"Hein?" He asked.

"I don't know, she's been neglecting he school work, leaving every day at height to go somewhere… I wonder what she's up to."


	13. Chapter 12

The fallowing day was as stressing as the other day. Studying and writing exams was all they were doing, over and over again for the fallowing week. Slowly February arrived with the end of all the exams, and Van was getting more and more exited to go to Hogsmade for Valentines Day.

But one morning, a week before Valentines Day, Van woke up to find Steph with a scary looking scratch on her arm.

"What…What…What's that Steph! You should get that treated now! Looks deep!" Van said sounding worried. "Where did you get it? And where are you going every night!"

"The cut? Its nothing, I fell that's all… I'm going to…to the library…"

"The library?" Said Van really not sounding convinced.

"Yep…"

"You should work on your lie telling, because you really aren't convincing anyone!"

"Van wait!" Steph called. But it was to late, Van was already out the door.

Van was really annoyed by Steph's "project" and she decided to fallow her that night, when Steph was to leave like she always did. But for now, care of magical creature was to come.

"OK class, today wer goin'ta do a little review on what we've learned on ar creature." Hagrid said that morning. "I want ya all to take tha form here, and fill it up. Give it ta me at tha end of class, have fun!"

"Yea right…" Draco said behind the class, and Hagrid must of heard it, he looked over at Draco with a pain struck expression.

"Don't listen to him Hagrid," said Harry. "You know Malfoy."

"Yea well…Am I doing a good job? Are my class really interesting and fun?"

"Sure they are Hagrid!" Said Hermione, obviously a better liar than Steph had been. "We get to learn about tones of different, unusual, creature, that we are bound of never seen with any other teacher…"

"Ya really think so?" Hagrid asked.

"Of course!" Exclaimed Van.

"Well then! You to run along and fill out your chart now!" He lowered his voice, "You all come ere durin dinner, I ave somthin mighty great ta chow ya all."

"OK Hagrid, We'll be there!" Ron said.

At the end of the lesson, everyone submitted there paper, Neville had only half of his done, he had to restart for the reason that his Bleater thing ate it. The five made there way to Charm class, and after, back to Hagrid, like they had promised to go during dinner.

"So what's up Hagrid?" Ron asked.

"Well, I managed ta get my Hippogriffs trained enough ta be petted! And I wanna see if they'd let other people do it to!" He answered. The five suddenly looked nervous.

"Are you sure it's a good idea Hagrid, we could get hurt you know." Hermione said.

"Not to worry, ter still small anyway."

But Hagrid perceptions of small was not the same as the five. The Hippogriffs were now the size of a big sheep, standing up, they would be sure to be at lease as tall as Ron.

"Heu Hagrid, didn't you say they were small?" Asked Ron, obviously scared.

The Hippogriffs, now to big to be in there cage, were held by leaches attached to a leather collar around their neck

"No, you stay back there!" Hushed Steph.

"What? Whom are you talking to?" Said Van looking at the woods were Steph had spoken towards.

"Hen, euh, Nobudy? Why?" Steph answered, a bit to fast.

"Right…" Said Van still not sounding convinced.

After Hagrid had fed the Hippogriffs, They all manage to approach and pet one without any damage, which was great relief, and proof that Hagrid was actually a good trainer.

"Well Hagrid," Started Van. "This its great fun, but we have to get back to class. Thatnks for inviting us!"

"No problem! Ya know the way back ? I wanna stay ere a bit longer."

"You stay here Hagrid, I know it." Said Steph.

"Are you sure?" Asked Ron.

"Trust me." She smiled.

After the walk to school Van spoke.

"How do you know the way so well? After all, we only went once."

"I'm good with directions." Steph simply said. And for once, Van looked like she actually believed Steph.

Finally night came, and like usual, Steph left, but this time, Van trailed her steps. She fallowed carefully, making sure that she wasn't making any noise. Steph walked fast, making sure at every turn not to bump in peeves of a teacher. When they reached the Entrance Hall, to Van's surprise, Steph opened the big doors and stepped out in the cool February night. Steph walked until the light of the castle windows could no longer lighten her way. To Van's relief, Steph stopped. Van hid behind a tree, waiting for something to happen, but to her horror, Steph pulled out her wand and pronounced the word "_Lumos_" Lightening her way to walk even deeper in the darkness. Finally, Steph reached the side of the Dark Woods. For a minute there, Van was scared that Steph would walk into them, but instead, Steph gave a long loud whistle, which was followed by a faint eagle like screech, which were after fallowed by wing beats.

Shreya soon landed on Steph's side, rubbing her beak against Steph cheek.

"Awww girl! Stop it, now I can't ground you cutie, you know I told you not to come and see me until I told you! You almost showed yourself in front of Van and the others, and I was not ready to tell them yet, only Ron knows." She patted the head of the Hippogriff. "Well your getting better I see, your even getting bigger than your friends… who tried to kill you…But lets see them do it now!"

Van, who hadn't noticed not saw that Shreya was actually bigger that the other Hippogriffs of her age, now realized that she looked different than the others, bigger wings, and her feathers were not gray not, but more like shinning silver, and her back side, the horse bart of the body, was almost black, with little gray hair, the remaining baby fur. _Probably a different breed,_ she thought.

"Now lets go and feed you. Hagrid told me that he left some dead rabbits for you in his garden shed. Hey what are you!" Steph exclaimed. Shreya had just stole Steph's wand, prancing around with it in her beak playing catch me if you can. But to Van's horror, the wand which was projecting beams of light everywhere because of Shreya's antics projected light right on her hiding spot, reveling her presence.

"CCRRRAAAAWWWWWW!" Exclaimed Shreya, taking a protective stand between Steph and Van ready to attack, both front legs slashing the air with those extremely sharp talons.

"Its OK girl, calm down, its just Van…" She said in a calming voice, calming the Hippogriff down, still throwing an angry look at Van. One Shreya had calmed down, Steph turned towards Van.

"What are you doing?! You scared the hell out of me and Shreya!" Steph exploded. "And fallowing me like that! Why!"

"I wanted to know what you were doing!" Van replied, her temper also rising. "What your doing is dangerous! What if she attacks you, no one would be there to help you!"

"Well, for now, the one who was the most in danger was you! If I hadn't recognized you, you were sure to be badly injured or dead! While I'm out here, as long as she's with me, no one can come near me unless I tell Shreya it OK."

"Well then, tell me who gave you that cut then!" Van asked.

"It wasn't Shreya! It was the other Hippogriff, the white one, I was helping Hagrid one night, and I approached to fast. It was my fault."

It was quiet for a moment, Van obviously had nothing more to say. The only sound that could be heard was Steph's wand falling on the snow, Shreya had dropped it, to occupied in keeping an eye on Van.

"Sorry…" Van finally said. "Your right, your safe with her, and I shouldn't of fallowed you like that…"

"Well, you know, I guess I was wrong to… I should of told you what I was doing. I didn't want to because my Permit for Ownership of Orphan Hippogriffs hasn't arrived yet, so if I was to be caught, I could be in deep trouble. I wanted less person as possible to know."

"Well Ron is a pretty good liar, he really made me think like he didn't know anything about it." Van said. Steph laughed.

Shreya pawed the ground restlessly, waiting to be fed.

"Ya, Were going now girl." Steph said. "You know how bigger she is, well, in about a month from now, I'll be able to fly her! Isn't this great!"

"Nice! I have to see that!" Van said, starting to walk in direction of Hagrid's place.

"Well, you can come on her to, when she's big enough anyway."

"Euh…I'll come back to you with that…Oh, while were on the subject of her size, what kind of Hippogriff is she? She different from the others." Van asked.

"Well, I did some research-"

"Explaining all the books…" Interrupted Van.

"Yea, anyway, I did some research with Hagrid and we found out that she's a rare breed of Hippogriff, endangered really. I don't know what the seller thought, but he lost lost of money. These things a worth thousands. He probably didn't know, thinking to rip us off by selling us a sick, small Hippogriff.

"And that's why the others were picking on her, she's not the same breed as her." Van realized.

They arrived at Hagrid's garden shed, and Steph began looking for the rabbits.

"They're not there." Steph said. "Hagrid's light is still on… Maybe I should go… After all, its Shreya's food. Van, Stay here, Hagrid can't see you, your not supposed to know ok, hide in the woods there."

"In the woods! With all those things in there, oh no." Van answered, a hint of panic in her voice.

"Come on, I'll tell Shreya to keep an eye on you, trust me, with her on your side, your safe. A wolf tried to have a go at me, he didn't last long, he didn't know what hit him." She laughed.

"Fine, but make sure she's not far…"

"Understand girl?" Steph said, looking as the Hippogriff.

Shreya turned around and went to stand beside Van.

"Well, don't stay to close! Just keep an eye on her while she's hiding." Steph said. Van walked over to the forest and Shreya came to Steph's side, occasionally glancing back at Van. Steph walked over to the door and knocked.

"Be right ter!" A voice exclaimed. "Calm down Fang!" He added opening the door. "Oh! Hi ter! Is somthin wrong?"

"No no, I just can't find Sherya's feed."

"Blimey! I forgot! Be right with ya!" Minutes later Hagrid walked out. "So wer is ya little Shreya?"

"Right here Hagrid." Said Steph.

"Now then! Will she ever stop impressing me! One week ago, she still ad er baby fur, and she was for sure a foot shorter!"

"I know! Will she ever stop growing!"

"Here," Said Hagrid, who had taken dead rabbits from a cupboard in his house. "Ya know how ta feed er, I ave to go back in." He was just about to close the door when he remembered, "By the way, your Hippogriff ownership permit has just arrived, I sent it to ya ten minutes ago, tha owl just missed ya! Now you can tell everyone tha you own a rare breed of Hippogriff!"

"That's great Hagrid! Thanks so much for your help!"

After Hagrid had left, and Shreya was fed, Steph and Van walked back to the castle, chatting happily about Shreya.


	14. Chapter 13

Steph woke the next morning as happy as everyone could ever be. She couldn't wait to tell Ron she finally had the permit, and that she could tell anyone now. Plus, she could rub it in Draco's face that she owned a Hippogriff, and that it's the biggest breed, and the more dangerous, and theirs nothing that they could do because she wasn't doing anything that was against the law! She walked down the dormitory steps humming happily.

"Well someone is in a good mood this morning!" Said Ron.

"Look!" Steph said, handing out the envelope containing the Hippogriff permit.

"Society of Protection of Endangered Magical Creature?" Read Hermione over Ron's shoulder. "Open it!" She exclaimed. Once the letter has been opened, Hermione read aloud the content.

"_The S.P.E.M.C. is honored to announce you that you have been given the appropriate permits to take care of the orphan Hippogriff Shreya that had come in your care. Attached to this letter, is the legal permits, and registration paper._

_An S.P.E.M.C. official will be coming to visit the Hippogriff Shreya every two months for a year to make sure that she/he is in appropriate care._

_Accept my best regards_

_S.P.E.M.C president_

_Hilare Ginotsa"_

As Hermione read, the words coming out of her mouth were getting slower as if she was thinking over each of them, and a frown was appearing, getting more pronounced as she read on. When she finished reading, she looked around at Steph.

"What is this supposed to mean? Do you have a…a Hippogriff?" She asked. Steph grin became wider.

Some of the students in the common room who had been eavesdropping were now looking at Steph to, curious to where this was getting.

"A Hippogriff!" Hermione continued. "Where? Why? …HOW!?"

"Don't you remember Shreya? From Hagrid's place, the small sick one? I took care of her, but unless I had the permit, I would have been doing it illegally, so I decided to play safe you know."

Harry, who had been listening, had suddenly a big grin on his face, which was a great deal since he hadn't smiled for a while.

"What?" Steph asked.

"I can just see Malfoy's face…" He laughed.

"Want to go and meet her? We have thirty minutes before class."

"Of course!" Hermione Exclaimed.

They walked outside, heading for the woods. When they got there, Steph did her call whistle and Shreya came flying towards her. As she landed, she looked curiously at Harry and Hermione since she hadn't met them before. Her gaze then turned towards Ron, she let out a little greeting noise and walked towards him.

"I have nothing for you today mate. Sorry." Ron said.

Hermione looked at him as if he just walked down the ramp of a U.F.O.

"You mean you knew about her!" She exclaimed.

"Duh! Of course, how do you expect me not to know!" He answered.

"Right…" Said Hermione, a little smile appearing in the corner of her mouth. Ron flushed a bit, casting a sideway glace at Steph, who had also became slightly redder.

"Sooooooo…" Harry started, obviously changing the subject, " Are we going to start heading to class now?"

"Yea, good idea!" Said Ron, happy of Harry's effort to change the direction of their talk.

They all headed to herbologie class, Shreya trailing after them.

"Your not going to bring her with you are you?" Harry asked.

"No," Steph answered. "But since I'm legally allowed to own her now, she doesn't need to hide in the woods anymore. She can fallow us to the green houses if she wants."

"True…"

As they walked, students were casting curious looks at the new arrival. Some even looked tempted to come and have a closer look, but then fear got the better of them and they seemingly thought that petting a intimidating looking Hippogriff didn't look as fun as they thought…

They reached the green house before professor Sprout, so they just hung out by the door and chatted about the places they could go explore when Shreya would be grown enough to fly.

"Well well well. Look what we have here. Harry now needs a big chicken to protect himself?" Said Draco, who had arrived, and that obviously thought that the Hippogriff was Harry's since he was petting it at that moment.

"For your information Malfoy, the Hippogriff is Steph's, not Harry's." Ron spoke. Malfoy's face turned slightly paler.

"Do I detect a flicker of fear?" Steph said.

"Me! Scared of a Weasley?!" Draco said, letting out a couple of fake laughs.

Ron walked closer to Draco, which had something impressive to it since Ron was much taller than Draco, whose face was still getting paler, but his expression still staying arrogant.

"Crab! Goyle!" He called, his voice slightly higher than usual.

"You need to ask for help? OK then, I guess I'm allowed to, Shreya!" Ron said.

She walked over beside Ron.

"Shreya, these are the people that you don't have to be nice to, and if they take a step closer than were they are now, you're allowed to bite off their-"

"OK class, sorry I'm late, I- Oh! What a beautiful creature!" Said professor Sprout.

Draco took that little moment inattention to walk away from Ron and Shreya while not looking like a coward, Ron way still eyeing him, a little smirk on his face.

"Ok then, enough time lost, lets get going!" Sprout continued.

Steph said goodbye to Shreya, loving her more than ever now that she new that Draco was definitely scared of her.

Days sped by, and soon, Valentines Day was here. Van had arranged to meet Kertis at the Shrieking Shack, where almost no one dared to venture. That morning was unusually cold for a February day, and Van was rubbing her hands together for warmth, waiting for Kertis to arrive.

"Sorry I'm late! Draco wouldn't stop asking me question about my whereabouts" Kertis said." …I swear, one day…" He mumbled, punching his hand. Van giggled.

"Want to go somewhere warmer? I can't feel my toes…" She said.

"Yea sure, lest go-" He suddenly stopped talking, listening to his surrounding. "Van, I think we better hide, I can hear Draco coming…What in the bloody world is he doing here!"

They both ran behind a huge boulder on a nearby hill, they crouched and waited, the voices getting louder and louder.

"So I said to him, why would I help a mudblood like you!? So the poor first grader stayed stuck in the unused bathroom with Pevees! Its was priceless!" Draco exclaimed. His friends laughing like mad.

The ground was all icy which caused Van to have some trouble keeping her footing right. Kertis was helping her, holding on to her arm, but he was having a hard time not falling to. Suddenly a crow flew out of the bush behind them, catching Van by surprise. She fell down, sliding down the hill, Kertis who had been holding on to her tried desperately to hold but to his horror also lost his footing, sliding down the hill to come to a stop at Draco's feet.

"What the!?" Draco said, "Kertis?"

Kertis looked up at Draco, who had given him a hand to get up. And that's when he saw who Kertis was with.

"Kertis? What in the world are you doing with…_her_?" Her asked.

"I was…we were…euh…" Said Kertis.

"No…Kertis…Not a Griffondor! I was sure you had better taste! AND A MUDBLOOD!"

"SHUT UP DRACO! You better keep your bloody mouth shut!!!" Kertis yelled at Draco.

"Wait until father hears about this!" Draco said in a exasperated laugh.

"NO! You better SHUT UP!"

"Or else what! What are you going to do? Jinx me? HA! I'd like to see that!" He said, still laughing.

Kertis on the other hand wasn't laughing at all, he had his wand pulled out of his coat, aiming it at Draco's chest.

"I dare you!" Draco said, who suddenly had taken a more serious tone.

"Funny… Last time you said that, you ended up having a Weasley punch you in the face! _Experdimenta_!" Kertis exclaimed. Draco went flying in the air landing hard on the icy soil, wind completely knocked out of him.

"I…You-pay-for-this-Kertis" Draco tried desperately to talk, unable to breath correctly.

"And that was a warning!" Kertis finished. "Come on Van, lets get out of here."

-----

"So have you thought about coming over my place in spring break?" Ron asked Steph shyly.

"Of course I've had! I so am going!" She said in excitement.

"I'm warning you though, my house in not that amazing…"

"Yes it is! And I'll get to meet Fred and George! I really want to hear about there jokes!"

"Yea…their funny…"

"Are you all right?" Steph ask worried at Ron alarming change of mood.

"Yea! Of course I am!" Which was probably the wrong thing to do, since his sudden jump back to happiness freaked Steph out more than ever.

"So did you ask your mom about it?" She asked.

"Well…Kind of… I told her I thought about brining over a friend… And hat we had our moment of transportation all set, so she didn't have to come and get us or anything."

Steph had a little laugh. "I bet you didn't tell her that you friend was your girlfriend, and that your mode of transport was a dangerous Hippogriff."

They were laughing as Van and Kertis came in.

"Over here Van!" Steph called.

Kertis sat down with them.

"What's with the face mate?" Asked Ron.

"If you feel like hitting Draco in the face again, feel free to do it, he's probably still crying over there anyway…" Kertis said, not aware that his explanation was of not help at all. Ron looked over a Van in a _What's-up-with-him?_ manner.

"Never mind Ron." She said, then she mouthed the words _I'll tell you guys later_ before getting up and getting Kertis and herself butter beers.


	15. Chapter 14

The next morning, Steph and Ron planned a little visit to Shreya after class, to see if she was fit enough to be ridden. In a book about Hippogriff that Steph had read, it said that it was safe to start training a young Hippogriff at the age of 8 month old, and Steph knew that Shreya was at lease this age. So as class flew by, Steph thought of lessons she could give to Shreya.

Finally, class ended, and Steph, Ron, Van, Harry and Hermione (they had come to watch) headed for the forest. Steph called Shreya, and as she arrived, gave her a bunny to eat.

"OK girl" She said. "This is a big day for you, I'm going to try and get on your back, and were just going to walk slowly, no need to rush things." She paused, thinking. "Ron, can you pass me the collar I made for her, thanks." She added, as Ron handed it over.

Steph made Shreya sniff it, and as Steph saw that Shreya seamed to not care about it, she fixed it around her neck. Shreya seamed calm about it, like that collar was the last thing to worry about in the world.

"OK…" Steph took a big breath. She had a little nervous laugh, "everyone know were the hospital wing is right?" There were a couple of nervous laughs.

Steph lead the Hippogriff to a nearby stump. She climbed on it and rested her two hands on the Hippogriff back, putting more and more weight on it, eventually, her whole body weight was on Shreya's back.

"Here goes nothing." Steph said, swinging a leg over Shreya's back. Nothing happened at first, but then, everything seamed to be registering in Shreya's head, and in no more than 5 second, Steph found he self laying on the ground before she even knew it.

"Are you ok!" Van exclaimed. And at everyone's surprise, Steph started laughing.

"Wow!" She simply said, as she got up for a second attempt.

"Steph, please don't hurt yourself!" Ron said, sounding really worried.

"Nah! No worries, I'll know when to stop." She got on the stump again and redid the whole weight process before climbing on again. This time, nothing happened.

"Good girl!" Ron exclaimed, giving her a mice to nibble on to. "Are going to try and walk her forward then?"

"Yea, I'll try." Steph said.

She sat up straight, about to give a little kick with her legs when she realized that it might not be a wise idea with Shreya. Instead, she bent forward and asked her politely, as she knew that Hippogriffs responded well to politeness. "Can you walk on Shreya? Please?" Shreya immediately walked on.

"Ha ha! It worked!" Steph said, huge smile on her face. He though a minute then bent forwards again, "What about a little trot? Do you feel like it?"

Shreya jumped to the opportunity to go faster, throwing a couple of playful bucks in the process, Steph laughing happily.

"YES!" She exclaimed, as she slowed Shreya to a halt and dismounted. "That was great!" She fed a rabbit to Shreya, patting her on the neck. "Enough for today now, but I'm bound to try again tomorrow, and maybe try a little run! And Ron to, right?" She asked, turning towards him.

"Euh…I'll…I'll think about it…" He said.

"Common! And you Van?"

"Euh…Your joking right!" She said.

"And Harry! And Hermione?"

"I'm sure to try it!" Harry said.

"I don't know, I don't really like flying…" Hermione said.

"True, Buckbeak was enough was it?" Steph asked. Hermione had a surprised look, still not used to the fact that the two girls knew everything about them.

They made their way to the castle, Ron in deep thoughts.

"What's up Ron?" Asked Steph.

"I was thinking, were going to my place on a Hippogriff… What is my mum going to say! She for sure wont let us go back to school on it, she's terrified of anything dangerous…"

"Look Ron, we'll fix that problem when we get there, maybe your mom will end up liking Shreya!"

"Mmm…"

Steph threw Van a worried look. Van shrugged, not knowing what to do.

"Oh! Van!" Exclaimed Ron. The sudden change of mood was alarming.

"Euh, yes?"

"What was up with Kertis? You know, at Hogsmade?"

"Oh, right… Well, here's what happened," Van started. She told Ron everything, like how Draco found out, and the fight. When she was done, they were standing in front of the castle's doors.

"Blimey…" Ron simply said.

The next day, during their second class, Harry randomly brought up the subject of the DA.

"So when are you planning to learn a couple of defensive spells?" He said to Van and Steph.

"Well…After spring break? We talked about after Christmas, but I have Shreya to train for our vacation, and that's a lot of work," Steph said. " Specially with Snape's essay…" She added as he passed beside their table, looking at their scaling potion.

"Yea, after Spring break, that's a good idea." Van finished

"Ok then, after the vacation it is." Harry concluded.

Several minutes later, class ended. They had the afternoon off, so they decided to go eat and then resume Shreya's training.

"Your riding her today Ron." Steph simply said.

"WHAT!"

"Well yea! You have to learn, what are you going to do when its actually time to leave?"

Ron turned paler and shoved more chicken in his mouth to avoid answering. Steph rolled her eye and had a little laugh while shooting a glance at Van who also was suppressing a one.

After lunch, they headed outside, greeted by Shreya, who apparently was walking back in forth between students hoping to get some sort of treat.

"Ready for a little lesson?" Steph asked, petting the Hippogriff on the head.

They headed for the tree stump were they were stationed the last day.

"Today I plan a little canter." Steph said as she fixed the collar on Shreya.

"Already?" Harry asked.

"She's ready, when I asked her for the trot yesterday, she really seamed up to it."

"If you say so…"

Steph climbed on Shreya's back.

"I think you have a little show going on there!" Van joked, pointing a couple of first graders who had come to watch. Steph smiled and asked Shreya to walk on. After a few minutes, she asked for a trot, she circled, made figure height, then came back at a walk.

"Ready for a little run girl?" Steph asked. She felt like every muscle in Shreya's body shivered with excitement. Steph asked for the trot again, then, asked for the faster pace. To everyone's horror, Shreya bounced forward, much faster than Steph would of wanted. Shreya thundered past the students, Steph falling backwards.

"STEPH!" Ron shouted. Van and Hermione had both hands clasped on their mouths, and Harry was wide eyed.

With luck, Steph threw her weight forward and clasped the collar tightly, pulling her self up. But with the sudden pull on the collar, Shreya opened her magnificent wigs and flew straight up. Steph was bent forward, both arms solidly wrapped around the Hippogriff's neck. Ron looked as if he was about to faint. Van and Hermione were holding each other, and Harry was smiling, remembering the first time he flew on Buckbeak.

"SHREYA! HERE! NOW!" Yelled Ron. Everybody looked around, staring at him. It was the first time they'd seen him that angry, and scared (except for Aragog…) Shreya looked around and landed, Steph crawled down and fell to the ground, laughing.

"Wahoo!" She exclaimed. "Ron, you…Ron?"

"No, Bad idea, bad idea! I cant believe I actually considered it!" He started.

"Ron?"

"What?"

"Look, nothing went wrong! I'm OK! Shreya did nothing wrong! I pulled on the collar and she thought it was a take off signal!" Steph said, standing up, bouncing at Shreya's defense. Van, Hermione, and Harry looked very uncomfortable, just standing there watching Steph and Ron fight, so they quietly made their way back to the castle, fallowed by the crowd of students.

"Its just not safe!" Ron continued.

"Give it a shot! You'll see that there is nothing wrong!"

Ron lowered his voice, "I guess mom can come and get us…"

"NO! This was something I was looking forward to! And you were with me on the idea!" Steph quieted down to. "Look, at least give it a shot, and if you really don't like it then, I wont complain, at least you would of tried it…"

Ron breathed in deeply.

"Lets get this over with…" He simply said.

"I'll go on with you." Steph said. Ron actually seamed grateful.

Steph got back on Shreya, which hasn't even started to break a sweat.

"Is two people ok?" Steph said. Shreya didn't do anything to object. Steph handed Ron a hand and pulled him up.

Van who had looked back to see if things hadn't gotten worst exclaimed,

"LOOK!"

Harry and Hermione both turned around. The three ran back to Steph and Ron as the two were walking off.

"Don't make it walk to fast!" Ron exclaimed, holding on the Hippogriff's collar tightly. Steph was sitting behind him holding on to his waist.

"You're the one in control, you tell her." Steph said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"S-s-slow down!" Ron said. Shreya, who had been at the slowest walk possible already, simply stopped out of pure annoyance. "Perfect…" Ron said.

"Ron…"

"OK, OK, walk on."

They walked around for a bit, and a grin was starting to form on Ron's face. And surprising Steph, he asked the Hippogriff to go on at a trot.

"A-a-a b-b-it b-b-oun-n-cy, b-b-but no-o-t tha-a-a-t har-r-rd" Ron said.

"Th-th-the cant-t-ter is eas-s-sier, hon-n-nest!"

"Su-u-ure?"

"Yea-a"

Ron asked Shreya to canter, slowly, without bouncing forward, the hippogriff threw her weight forward, but not to hard this time, without taking flight. And to Steph relief, Ron was laughing.

"This is great!" He said, huge grin on his face.

"Do you want to fly? It's easier than a broom!" Steph asked. Ron was quiet for a moment.

"OK!" He finally answered. Steph tighten her grip on Ron and waited for Shreya to take off, and soon enough she did. They flew high over the lake. Steph was laughing, happy that Ron wasn't scared anymore.

"Sorry Steph…" Ron said.

"For?"

"For not trusting you with this, and to had gotten angry. You were right, this is great!"

"Its all behind now, way down below us!" She said laughing. Ron threw the ground a look.

"L-lets land…" He said suddenly aware of their height.


	16. Chapter 15 modified

Saturday arrived shortly, and Steph, shinning, walked down the stairs of her dormitory.

"So when are you leaving Steph?" Van asked.

"Some time after breakfast. Are you sure you don't want to come? I don't want to go alone an Ron wont come cuz he's late on Snape's essay…"

"I…I'm scared of heights, you know that!"

"We won't fly high! It's just a practice run, to see how she is on long distance flying, and its best with two people to see if she can carry the weight long. After 2 hours of flying we'll land, have lunch, and then come back… Pleaaaaaaaaaaase?" Steph got down on 2 knees in front of Van, hands in a prayer position. Neville entered the common room and made a weird face as he saw the unlikely scene. The girls started a laugh as Neville was leaving the room looking puzzled.

"Fine, I'll come, but no funny business!" Van agreed at a grinning Steph.

The two entered the Great Hall to eat. They spotted Ron who was just finishing eating.

"So did you find anyone to go with?" He asked as he got up.

"Yea, Van is coming." Steph said, big grin of her face.

"That good, I really felt bad letting you go alone…"

"Don't feel bad Ron! It's not your fault, it's…_his_" She said as Snape sat at the teacher's table.

Ron laughed. "Well, I have to go finish that essay, have fun!"

"Yea, you to!" Van added.

"hahaha…" With that he left.

The girls ate as fast as they could, knowing they had to go somewhere before they left.

"Why do you want to go and get your lunch in the kitchen anyway? We could go and buy it at Hogsmade, it would give us a chance to go there again!" Van asked.

"Euh, because it free!" Steph answered

"Yea, but at Hogsmade, you can show off your cool, rare Hippogriff!" Van added trying to use Steph's week spot.

"mmm" She thought about it. "No, I prefer not, I don't want to take the risk of her getting to exited and injuring someone right before my trip…"

"True…" Van said, sad to miss a good chance.

"Look, we have Shreya, we could go any day after school."

"Yea! Your right!" Van seemed happier now.

After having gone to the school's kitchen (Dobby had tried to give them a huge cake, way to big to bring on with them… They finished by cutting a piece of and giving the rest to their classmates.) They walked outside to get Shreya ready for the trip. The Hippogriff was standing near the water, standing tall, looking more elegant than ever, starring in the distance. Steph called her and Shreya came cantering to greet.

"Ready for your big trip?" Steph asked. "It would be way to early for a horse to go on a trip of this size a this age, but she seems more than ready."

"Yea, I was just going to ask you about that!" She laughed.

Steph got the collar around Shreya's neck. And then helped get the backpack on Van's back.

"Tell me why I'm the one carrying this!" Van asked, her face screwing up with the weight.

"Cuz your sitting at the back, and If I was to be carrying it, it would get in the way to much. Unless you want to be the driver…"

"NO thanks!"

"I thought so." She said smiling.

Van got up on the tree stump and Steph pushed her up on Shreya's back, than climbed on herself.

"Ready?" Steph asked.

"No!" Van laughed as Steph asked Shreya forward.

"Are you ok at the walk?"

"If fine with everything, just, not the flying."

"What's the problem with you guys, its not worst than a broom!" Exclaimed Steph as she asked Shreya to increase speed to a canter. "Ok, here we go Van!" She added, as Shreya flew up in the air.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Several minutes later (when Van had stopped screaming), they flew over the Dark forest.

"Wow! Van look! We can see everything for here! Look! A Unicorn! And it's the Norwegian Silver breed." Steph exclaimed.

"And how exactly do you know that!" Van asked, puzzled.

"The horn looks a bit curved, and on the back there's a little stripe of silver. I learned it from your book."

"Oh!" Van said, happy that Steph had read her book. "OH MY GOD, STEPH! Look!"

"No way! Is that?"

"Yes! Its Grawp!" Answered Van, over excitedly.

Grawp looked up at the sky, mouth stupidly half open, looking at the large flying animal, trying to figure out what it was.

"HI GRAWP!" Steph yelled.

The giant's head crooked even more to the side, mouth still open, as if wondering how a bird could talk. Then, his eyes widened.

"BUBEEK" He screamed, making a couple of birds fly out of a near by tree.

"Bubeek?" Asked Steph.

"Buckbeak!" Exclaimed Van.

"How does Grawp know Buckbeak?" Steph asked as they flew a bit higher to go over a mountain. She could feel Van's grip getting tighter on her shirt.

"No clu- YOU SAID WE WERE NOT GOING HIGH!" Van panicked.

"OK, OK! Shreya, go lower please…sorry."

So the three flew far from the castle, over magnificent lakes and mountains, dodging the random muggle village. Shreya was not indicating any sings of tiredness, surprising Steph since she was that young.

"That breed of Hippogriff sure is tuff! Its her first trip, and we've been flying for over an hour and a half now, and she's not even getting tired." Steph pointed out.

"So were are we going to rest? My legs are getting very sore, and I'm getting hungry!" Van complained.

"As soon as I find a suitable, well hidden place to land." She answered.

"Steph! Careful! There are three muggles over there!"

"What?"

Steph started to panic, trying to find to find a place to hide. Finally, she spotted it, between two little cliffs. A little clearing with a river crawling through it. It was perfect. As Steph bent forward to tell Shreya to land there, she saw on of the muggle kids point in the sky were they were, but just before the parents could turn around to look, they had lost enough altitude to be hidden behind the trees. Soon enough, they landed.

"That was close!" Van said.

"Are you kidding! The little kid saw us!" Steph cried, in a panicky voice.

"What? What are we going to do!"

"I just hope the parents wont believe the kid…"

Just then, voices could be heard from afar.

"Mom! I swear I saw something. I was a big horse with wigs! It landed right there! I wanna see it!"

"There, there, you know winged horses don't exist." A male voice sighted.

"I just want to see! Please!"

"OK, we'll go take a quick look."

"I'll wait for you in the car honey!" An other female voice sounded.

"Now what!" Exclaimed Van.

"I have a plan, fallow me." Steph said. "Shreya, you stay there, its very important!"

Steph started her way in the forest.

"Were are you going! That's were the kid and her dad is!" Van said.

"Exactly, just fallow my lead!" Steph simply answered.

Steph continued her way in the forest, finding a trail and fallowing it. They reached the dad and the little girl, and Steph acted an anxious face.

"Sorry mister, but I suggest you don't go that way! A man was experimenting with different model of flying machine, and the on with looks like an Hippogriff just crached!" Steph lied. Van, catching on added,

"Yea, and the fumes from the engine are going everywhere, its really bad! Would you know were we could find a phone?"

"Oh my! That's terrible! Yes, there's a Phone both right over there, past those bushes…And to think we were going there… Common Olivia! Lets not go there, there's been an accident!" The man said.

"But dad!" The little girl started crying.

Van and Steph looked at each other.

"That was close…" Van said.

"Tell me about it…" Steph simply answered.

The two walked back the creak were Shreya was waiting for them, and to Steph horror, she had managed to kill a deer to feed on.

"Shreya! I had food for you! Don't...never mind…its already dead is it…" Steph said, looking disgustingly at the deer carcass. She could hear Van gagging at the other end of the clearing.

"Simply DISCUSTING!" She managed to yell out.

"Barbecue?" Steph joked.

While Van was getting over the shock of Shreya's antic, Steph was getting the picnic ready. They made sure to eat quite far from Shreya's own choice of meal, but close enough that Steph could keep an eye on her.

"Soooooo…" Van started.

"So what?" Steph said.

"You and Ron? Are is it going?"

"Why did I know you were going there… What can I say? It's going well."

"That's all?"

"What do you want more!" Steph exclaimed. A mischievous smile appeared on Van's face. "AH! Ewww! Don't go there!" Steph added, Van bursting in laughter.

"You'll never change will you?"

"No! Lets change subject please!"

"OK, I have one that I have been thinking about for a long time, what do you think really meant those stones in Dumbledor's office at the beginning of term?"

"Your right… I haven't thought about that… Dumbledor said that it meant that we had great powers in us, but, I don't feel any different, nether stronger than Harry, Ron or Hermione."

"Same here… Weird is it? Its probably his rocks which were weak." Van said, laughing.

As they ate and chatted, Shreya could be heard walking back towards them. When she reached them, she laid down beside them, but to Van's discus, Shreya had brought a bone with her to chew on.

"Arg! Ew! Enough!" She exclaimed.

"Let her Van, you feed you dogs cow bones! What the difference!" Steph said at Shreya's defense.

"Euh, maybe its that the bones I give to my dogs a cooked, clean, with no slab of raw meat hanging from them! And they don't – drip – BLOOD!"

Steph laughed and resumed her eating, Van did the same, eying the Hippogriff to make sure she wasn't going to get closer. Finally, the time came to head back to the castle. Both girls packed the remaining food, then climbed on the Hippogriffs back.

They arrived at the castle at sundown. As Shreya landed, a figure could be seen running towards them.

"So, how did it go?" Ron asked, trying to catch his breath.

"Good, she didn't even show a sing of tiredness!" Steph answered.

"Yea, that's the god side of the story…" Van added.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"We got spotted by a muggle kid-" Seeing Ron's reaction, she cut straight to the chase. "BUT! Everything is ok, we fixed it all, we convinced the parent that it was a guy testing some model air plane, and that on crashed."

"Oh…what's a model hairpane?"

"AirpLane Ron… it's something that flies… I'll make you a drawing later." Steph answered as she took the collar off Shreya.

The three walked back to the castle. Steph was telling Ron how Shreya hunted a deer over Van's moaning of how disgusting it was. They entered the castle greeted by Harry and Hermione, which made them re-tell their storie.

Several weeks later, the day before the departure to the Burrow arrived. Van was getting more and more excited for Steph, which wasn't of any help since Steph was so excited that fainting wouldn't of been surprising. Ron on the other hand looked more and more anxious, scared of his mom's reaction the Hippogriff, or, as a matter of fact, Steph. Finally, it was time to go to bed, which was plain torture for Steph.

"Stop singing!" Moaned Van, shoving her head under her pillow.

"Sorry…"

But at one in the morning, something happened that was to break Steph from her deranging great mood.

"Van! VAN! Wake up! What's the matter!" Exclaimed a scared Steph, shaking Van from her nightmare.

Tears were streaming down her face and her whole body was shaking.

"Van, relax, breathe. What's wrong?" Continued Steph.

"It-its ter-ter-terrible Steph!" Van managed to said.

"What? What is terrible?"

"I ju-ju-just had a…a vi-vi-vision…I think…Its was like a ni-ni-nightmare, but, more real…"

"Go on…"

"Steph! Something bad is going to happen to Ron!"


	17. Chapter 16

"What do you mean something bad it going to happen to Ron!" Asked Steph, anxious.

"I...I don't know! I just saw it ok!" Van answered, patience running to an end.

"What exactly did you see?"

"I...I don't know, I just..." Van looked at Steph, tears building up in corner of her eyes. "I just heard some screaming, Ron's voice, and then silence..." Van's answered did not seem convincing, as if she was hiding something.

"Sure?"

"Sure" And with that, she just jumped back in her bed.

"If you would of seen something else you would told me right?"

The waiting was rather long before she answered,

"Yea...I would..."

Steph got back in bed, all happiness sucked out of her. She couldn't help but feeling anxious.

She woke up later, full of energy, ready for the trip. She got her trunks down and waited for Ron. She found it weird that she was the only one up at this time. Finally, seemingly hours later, Ron walked down the stairs fallowed by his levitating trunks.

"Took you long enough!" Steph exploded.

"Euh...Its just six in the morning, I came down because I couldn't sleep anymore..." Ron said, giving Steph a smile, which looked funny on his still sleepy face.

"Oh...I..."

"While were up, lets go eat, I guess it wouldn't hurt to leave early."

"Fine with me!" Steph said, jumping to her feet.

The two walked downstairs to the Great Hall. It was early, so no food was on the table yet, but as they sat down, two plates appeared in front of them, filled with delicious pancakes and fresh fruits.

"Blimey! Now that's service!" Exclaimed Ron. Steph laughed and started eating. "I was thinking of something. Remember, when you went for that trip with Van, how muggles spotted you? We have to fly over London to get to my place, how do you suppose we fly over that without being spotted?" He added.

"I thought about it, and I hate to admit it, but Snape's class revealed itself useful. I made a flask of Transparency potion. We just have to take a sip each to become invisible, and then we just have to take the antidote, that I managed to make to. I tested it before on a magic rat, and it works well, the thing was well alive when I was done with it..."

"Well that's good! I would of never of thought of that!" He said, fighting with a reluctant

piece of sausage.

They walked back to the common room after their breakfast, greeted by Van.

"There you are, I knew you weren't far cuz your bags were still here." She said.

"You weren't expecting us to leave without saying bubye!" Steph joked. "NO!" She exclaimed as Van tried to hug her. As she backed away, Van got closer, and looking at her with serious eyes, she said,

"Be careful."

Steph suddenly remembered the _dream_ Van had had earlier.

"Yea..." She simply answered, grabbing her bag. She led the way out of the common room, Ron jogging to catch up, his bag floating after him.

"Why don't you try this." He said, jinxing Steph's bag. Which now fallowed her anywhere she went. "No need to care about them anymore, they'll just fallow us." He finished.

"Nice! Thanks Ron." Steph thanked.

They walked outside and Steph called Shreya. She came flying out of the wood, a freshly killed rabbit in her mouth.

"Since she killed that deer, she won't stop killing. I guess she likes fresh meat better..." Steph commented.

"Euh...Steph? What are we going to do with the bags?" Ron asked, totally out of subject.

That was like a slap in the face. She completely had forgotten about that.

"I guess we could...euh... Let me try something." She said, pulling a little glass bottle out of her coat. She bent over the bags and let a drop of potion fall on each. Nothing happened at first but slowly, the bags turned paler and paler until they were invisible.

"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed. A triumphant smile appeared on Steph's face.

She gave the flask to Ron.

"There, drink a bit, then give it back to me so I can give Shreya."

"Your sure this is safe?" Ron asked.

"Trust me Ron."

He took a sip and gave the bottle back to Steph.

"That tasted discussing!" He exclaimed.

"Ron! Where are you! AAAAHHH!" Steph screamed as something grabbed her head.

"Got ya!" Ron laughed.

"I'll get you for that! Now come here Shreya, open your mouth." Steph ordered. Shreya didn't obey. Steph took a piece of meat from the floor that Shreya had dropped and poured potion on it and gave it fast to Shreya.

"Its not working Steph!" Ron said. "Shreya is not becoming invisible!"

"Of course she is! I can't see her, she's invisible right now!" Steph Exclaimed.

"Really? Well I can still see her… Brilliant!"

Steph drank the rest of the potion herself. She felt an odd feeling going through her, and then suddenly, Ron and Shreya appeared before her eyes.

"Awesome!" She let out. "We can see everything that invisible!"

"Told ya!" Ron exclaimed.

They both mounted Shreya, and they were off! They flew high in the air, faster than she usually did travel on Shreya. Steph kept looking back at their luggage, scared that Shreya would out fly them, but they were still fallowing close by.

Ron was occasionally looking at his map, making sure that they were flying in the right direction.

"Go a bit more to the left!" Ron said loudly over the roaring wind.

"OK!" Steph answered. "Are you OK back there?" She asked.

"Yea, cold, but fine!"

They kept flying nonstop, and its must have been hours before Ron spoke directions again,

"Ok, after those big mountains over there, turn a bit left! We should be able to start seeing London in the horizon." He directed.

Steph fallowed his instruction closely, and soon enough, London was visible.

"Wow! That's a big city! Van would do anything to be here right now!" Steph Exclaimed. "Do you want to land before we cross? My ass is getting kind' a sore!"

"Sure, go ahead! I was just going to ask the same..." He laughed.

They landed in a park close by London. There were a couple of people, but since they were invisible, there was nothing to worry about. Steph and Ron sat down to eat, and Shreya looked around at the muggles with great interest.

"So, Ron, did you talk to your mom about me? Like, the fact that I'm a girl?" Steph laughed.

"Not really actually… Mum would of had a fit!" Ron answered sarcastically.

"What are you going to do when we get there then?"

"Dunno, run and hide?"

"Ron!" She exclaimed laughing.

Ron continued making up dramatic scenes as he chewed on an apple.

They took off again later on, and the next stop was the Burrow. They arrived shortly before sundown. They all took the Transparency potion antidote (including their luggage) and headed for the front door. As they entered, everything seemed so deserted.

"Mum! I'm here!" Ron called. There was no answer. "Were is ev- AAAAAAAAHHH!"

A huge spider jumped in front of them, hissing and clamping its huge venomous pincers at them. Steph jumped like a cricket, hiding behind Ron, but she soon found herself facing the spider again as Ron had hidden behind her. Suddenly the spider exploded, leaving a cloud of purple smoke with the letters "_Welcome home little bro!_" in shinny gold. Steph soon realized what was up, but Ron was still in deep shock. The closet beside them suddenly opened and the twins jumped out, one of them giving the poor traumatized Ron a headlock.

"20 galleon each! 20 off Hogwarts students, and free to any friend of Ron! Chose between a grand selection, including the public's favorite, the blood thirsty Bengal tiger!" Exclaimed one of the twins, looking at Steph, who burst in laugher.

"I'll get one! Spider please!" She said. One of them fiddled in him pocket as if he had placed it there, sure to sell one at right this moment.

"I'm Fred by the way" He said, handing out a hand.

"NO! Don't shake it!" Ron exclaimed, having managed to free himself of George.

"Ron! You just ruined a good joke!" Exclaimed Fred, disappointed to have lost a good victim.

"Steph," Ron started. "Don't do anything the brats ask you, you'll end up being tricked."

"RON!" Fred and George both exclaimed.

But to Ron's surprise, Steph was still laughing her head off.

"What are you laughing for?" Asked an angry Ron.

"You, and Them!" Steph exclaimed.

"Now finally! Someone who appreciate our humor Fred." George said.

"Getting attacked by a spider is not funny!" Ron said angrily.

"Yes it is!" Steph said, still laughing. Ron looked at her with a truly offended look. "Sorry Ron…but, you have to admit, it was funny…"

There was a quiet moment were everything seamed awkward. Fred and George looked at Ron and Steph back and forth, seemingly realizing something. A back door opened and a scream of joy broke the silence. For a moment, Steph saw only a forest of red, curly hair. Molly Weasley finally loosened her hold on Steph.

"You must be Ron's friend! Welcome and make yourself at home!" She exclaimed happily. Then she turned to Ron, getting his turn a hug.

"You two go sit down, I'll go get you some tea!" She said happily.

Ron, Steph and the twins headed for the living room. Steph and Ron sat side by side in one couch, and the twins both sat side by side in the couch facing them, staring at Ron.

"What to you want?" Ron asked coldly.

"Nothing little bro, were just…" George said as his and Fred's gaze turned to Steph, just staring at her. She suppressed an other wave of uncontrollable laugher.

A long minute passed, a very long, awkward minute, were the twins would not stop staring at Steph. Suddenly…

"Will you stop it! Stop staring at her!" Ron exploded. Quite un-expectantly, both the twins jumped up at the same time and exclaimed,

"HA!"

"I knew it all along!" Continued Fred.

"Me to my dear bro!" Concluded George.

"Knew what?" Asked Ron, patience running to an end.

"Don't play that little game Ronald! You know that were talking about your _friend…_" Answered Fred. The accent that was put on the words friend made Steph and Ron blush instantly.

"Don't worry little bro," Started Fred. George continued, "Your secret is safe with us!" He paused and turned around.

"MOM! Ron and his _Girlfriend_ are still waiting for their tea impatiently!" Fred paused and looked at Ron. "Oups…" He added with an evil smile.

"Yes I'm com-" Molly suddenly stopped.

"I can't believe she didn't realized, its so obvious…" Said George in a fake sad voice, shaking his head.

"AAARRRRRGGGGG!" Ron exploded, over Steph's little laughers. "Enough!" He said as running footsteps could be heard coming. "Lets go in my room where these two freaks won't bug us!"

"I don't-" Steph started, cut of by Ron.

"Lets go!" He continued, grabbing her hand.

"Careful up there, were watching you!" Fred said, tangling a weird looking instrument. It kind of looked like an eyeball on a string. Molly, who had arrived gave Fred a tap in the head, and smiled to Ron and Steph. He was blushing more than ever and turned around to keep walking up the stairs. But even then, the tips of his bright red ears were still visible.


	18. Chapter 17corrected

Chapter 17

Ron led the way up the stairs, stopping in front a big wooden door. Hewalked in and sat on the bed, his face in his hands.

"I can't believe those two!" He exclaimed.

"What wrong, I found them funny." Steph said. Ron didn't say anything, just looked at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing…"

There was a longawkward moment, then he spoke up again.

"Euh… Let me introduce you to Pig." He said, trying to cheer up the atmosphere.

Steph was so caught up in Ron's weird acting that she hadn't noticed the ruffles of feathers in a cage covered in what looked like Ron's old Yule Ball robe. He undraped the cage, revealing the cutest little owl ever. Pig flew in little circles in his cage, anticipating to get out.

"Calm down Pig! The bloody bird it mad!" He laughed, yanking the cage door open. Pig flew out, landing of Ron's shoulder, looking at Steph curiously.

"Awwwww, that's an adorable bird!" She said.

"Yea, he's cuter than he acts…"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ron was cut of by Molly's Screaming.

"Blimey!" Ron exclaimed, running downstairs with Steph right behind him.

When they arrived, Fred and George were already there, looking at what scared Mss. Weasley.

"Bloody Hell!" One of them exclaimed.

Steph looked more closely, She saw Shreya playing in the garden, running after those pesky gnomes.

"What's wrong Mss Weasley?" Steph asked.

"Don't you see it! In the back yards! Right there!" She exclaimed nervously.

"What? The hippogriff? That's Shreya, she's mine, we flew on her to come here!"

"WHAT!"

"She's perfectly safe! Come, I make you meet her! Beside, she's getting rid of your garden gnomes!"

"Its OK dear… But I don't think it's a good idea to fly that…I… Its dangerous!"

"I raised her from a tiny baby, trust me!" Steph pleaded.

Molly paused.

"Alright, she said, it can stay, but I'm not going outside without you there…" She said.

"Don't worry Mss. Weasley, she wont hurt you." She continued.

"I have to go back to making dinner anyway… Ron, tell me next time you friends… Brings a friend with them, you don't want your poor mother dying of a heart attack now do you?" She said with a little nervous laugh.

"Friend?" George said with a corner smile Molly smacked him hard in the head as she two suppressed a little smile. "OUCH!" He yelped.

Fred ran out of the room laughing, George soon fallowed him, rubbing to top of his head.

Molly turned to Steph.

"So dear, where do you come from?" She asked Steph while she supervised her bewitched knife cutting potatoes, which looked strangely like the head of one of those garden gnomes…

"I come from Canada…" She answered blankly, still hypnotized by the moving knife.

"Canada! Beautiful place it is! So what are you two planning to do this week?" She asked. Steph looked over at Ron, because she too had no idea.

"I don't know, hang around the house, fly our brooms I guess…" Ron answered shyly.

"Oh you and your brooms… Why don't I drop you two off at London? You can spend the day and show Steph around. I'm sure she never saw London before, did you dear?"

"No, I haven't Mme."

"Well there you are then!" She said, filling up a cauldron with water.

------

Van waited impatiently by the window. She was expecting an owl from Kertis. The accident with Draco really slowed down their relationship. She had written him a letter, asking to meet at the Three Broom Sticks tomorrow.

Incapable of staying alone much longer, she walked down to the common room to meet Harry.

"Hey!" She greeted, sitting beside him in front of the fireplace.

"Hi, what are you up to this week? Steph, Ron, and Hermione are gone for spring break." He asked.

"Well, I was thinking of meeting up with Kertis, I haven't seen him in a while… And you?"

"I have no idea… Do… Would you like to come to Hogsmade with me this afternoon? I really need to buy some ink and a new quill…" He asked.

"Sure, I'll go get my cloak and we can go now if you want."

"Great! I really didn't what to go alone…" He said. Van laughed,

"I get ya, I hate being alone to..." She answered, walking up the dormitory stairs.

As she picked up her cloak, she fished in her desk for a bit of money in case they stopped for a butter beer. She walked down the stairs and met up with Harry in the common room. They started they're way to Hogsmade. Van came with the conclusion that her spring break wasn't going to be as boring as she thought.

They where looking thorough rows of quills when a hooded man bumped into Harry. Van gasped mentally. Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, froze as he recognized Harry, but him on the other hand, did not seem to recognize him, to both Van, and Sirius's relief.

Harry mumbled a simple "sorry" and went back to looking for his quill.

Van and Sirius's eyes connected for a second, and Van turned he gaze away, sacred to show any emotion that may trigger Harry's attention.

As Sirius hurried to leave the shop, Harry froze.

"Pardon me Sir? Do… Do I know you?" He asked, looking…stupefied.

"No…I don't recall seeing you, sorry." And Sirius left the store as fast as he came in, without taking one single glance at Harry. Van stood still, waiting for something terrible to happen.

"Van, I swear I know that men, his voice… The way he moves… Sirius?" He thought aloud.

"Nonsense!" Van exclaimed with a bit too muchspark in her voice. "S-Sirius died Harry, you know it and me to! I think you miss him so much that you start to imagine things!" Van finished, breathing faster and faster.

"What wrong with you? I just- Lets get out of here… I chose my quill anyway..." Harry mumbled.

"I…Harry!" Van jogged to catch up. "Sorry, I just really don't want you to go through it again."

"Let it go, I just want to get out. A butter beer sounds nice?" He asked.

"Sure!" Van answered, happy that he to wanted to think of other things.

--------

Steph and Ron we're sitting in the garden, looking at Shreya giving the garden gnomes the worst time of their little miserable life. Fred and George could be seen flying on their brooms, passing themselves a blugger with their custom-made Quiditch bats. Oddly, the bats made an awkward farting, or burping sound every time it would hit the blugger.

"They're testing a new product if your wondering…" Ron said, seemingly reading Steph's mind. She giggled, watching as one of the twins' bat made the loudest far she'd ever heard. The other one of the twin laughed so hard the her fell of his broom. He wiped some tears of laughter and climbed back on his broom.

"Mental these one…" Ron simply said.

"I think they're funny." Steph simply corrected. Ron didn't say anything.A couple of minutes later,Molly came out with a plate of delicious looking stuffed potatoes. A line of trays fallowed her out the door and settled on the table.

"FRED, GEORGE!" She exclaimed. They both raced to the table, crashing into the apple tree. "Settle down now! Time to eat. Your father wont be joining us, he said he needs to stay late at work…" She sighed lightly. There was an awkward silent moment then… -**PRRRROOOUT**-

"GEORGE!" Molly exploded. Fred was wiping his eyes in laughter, patting George's back. Steph who had almost choked on her pumpkin juice laughed uncontrollably. Even Ron, who didn't usually find his brother's jokes funny, was whipping laughter tears at this one. The expression on Molly's face had been priceless.

"_Acio Bat!_" She said, waving her wand. Both of the twins bat flew out from under the table and landed in Molly's hand. She threw them a disappointed look and resumed eating; perhaps more fiercely than usual…

The rest of dinner was rather awkward. Nobody talked exempt the twins who at random moments would have explosive giggles… The sun was racing towards the other side of earth quickly; soon enough, it was time to move inside.

"You'll be sleeping in Ginny's room." Ron said, guiding the luggage upstairs.

Steph settled quickly in her new room, and soon Ginny joined her. Steph was silently fixing her robe when she realized that Ginny was looking at her with a look that the twins would bare before maybe pulling a rather inappropriate prank. It also looked as if she had been looking at her for a while.

"What?" Steph said, putting down her needle.

"… What… Sorry to ask but…" Ginny Giggles, "What do you find in my brother?"

Steph wasn't expecting that question. She blushed alarmingly fast.

"Euh…" She simply said. "I dunno. He's sweet, funny and he stands up for what he lov-"

"WHAT! Stands up for himself!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "Are we talking the same Ron here?"

"Hey! He punched Malfoy right in the nose. That's good enough for me!" Steph laughed.

"He didn't! No way!" Ginny's mouth was wide open. "What was the occasion?"

"He…" She blushed. "Malfoy surprised us in a corridor when Ron was… Asking me out."

"Ooohh!" Ginny gave a Vanessa-ish squeal.

-------

Back at Hogwarts, Van was calmly steering boiling noodle in her cauldron.

"There's food down at the great hall if you want…" Said Parvartie, looking over Van's shoulder.

"But they don't have Kraft Dinner!" Van laughed. "Mom just sent some to me. Im so happy!"

"Kraft Dinner?"

"Have a bowl." Van said, handing one over to Parvartie, who looked uncertainly at Van mixing the yellow powder to the noodles.

"Is it safe?" She asked, smelling the cheesy substance.

"Very. Best stuff you'll ever eat." Van answered. But Pavartie still looked anything but conviced.

**tic tic tic**

"Oh!" She exclaimed, Happy to look away from the yellow noddles. "I think its your Owl Van!"

"Muh Owhl?" Van said, mouth full. She got up in a hurry and opened the window. Aglaia flew inside, accompanied by a cold March wind. Van hurried and grabbed the letter attachedto the little Owl's leg.

"Oh! Its from kertis!" She exclaimed.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Van eagerly opened the letter.

_Hey____ As you know, Draco knows. And he well____ You know him, told my parents. Now I'm in deep trouble. And____ They are making me go to Drumstang. I told them I didn't want anything to do with it_, _but they just didn't listen___

_Don't try and find me anymore____ I'm no longer at Hogwarts._

_Kertis_

Van had to read the letter over four times before it sunk it. Her eyes watered, and an uncontrolled sob left her.

"What is it!" Pavartie exclaimed. Van simply handed over the letter.

Of course, not knowing about anything that has been going on, she didn't understand.

"What's wrong? Draco knows what? Is that from Kertis Malfoy?" She asked. Then her eyes grew the size of galleons. "No way! Oh Van, I'm so sorry!" She said, giving Van a big hug.

"I should of known it wouldn't work! Why did I even bother!" Van exclaimed, going into more uncontrolled sobs.

"Don't say that. Its not your fault. You know, maybe what's good for you is a bit of fresh air. Want to go out for a walk?" Pavartie asked, trying to change the mood.

"No, I think I would like being alone right now" Van said, leaving the dormitory.

"Morning!" Molly exclaimed, seeing Steph walk down the stairs. She hadn't realized how much the trip to the Burrow had tired her until now. She was the last one up. Ron was already half way done is breakfast and god knows where the twins where at this time.

"Where are Fred and George?" Steph asked.

"Is that the first thing you can find to tell me in the morning?" Ron said with a raised eyebrow. He tried to say it with a joking tone, but the coldness in his voice was noticeable.

"Morning Ronald." Steph said with a smile, patting him on the head. She maybe would of done something else, but considering that Ron's mom was not far...

"Better." Ron said with a smile.

Molly came back with a plate of eggs, potatoes, bacon and toast for Steph. It was obvious that she tried hard to make the best breakfast she could do.

"Man," Ron began. "If every time I bring a friend here, mom cooks like this; I'm bringing a friend every day!" He joked, stealing a slice of bacon from Steph's plate.

"Hey! That's the best part!" She exclaimed, giving him a friendly punch.

"Do you want it back?" He asked, opening his mouth to reveal half chewed bacon. Steph made a grossed out face.

"Oh. I'm sure she wouldn't mind!" Sounded George's voice behind them. Steph turned bright red.

"Shut it George!" Ron said coldly. Steph giggled.

"They sure know when to 'pop in' our conversations." She said. Ron simply made a sound that could easily be mistaken as a dog growl. Steph had another little laugh.

Fred pulled himself a chair and sat beside Steph, and George squeezed himself between Ron and her.

"So," Fred started. "Would you like to come and grade some of our new inventions?"

"We won't pay you, but you will get free samples of our product to show your friends!" George finished.

"I would love to!" Steph replied happily. "That should be fun Ron!" She said, looking at him.

"Yea, fun." He rolled his eyes.

"Come on!" Steph said, pulling his arms to force him to stand up. He did eventually and it looked like a rather painful thing to do.

"Right this way lady!" Fred said.

"And gentleman." Added George.

Van was lying on a mountain of pillows in the room of requirement. She had walked in front of the troll wallpaper three times, wishing for a comfortable place where she wouldn't be bothered. She simply was looking at the ceiling, whipping a tear now and then.

She could not believe Draco. She never thought he would of gone that low. She threw a pillow across the room, missing Harry's head by an inch.

"WHAT THE!" Van jumped, a hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?!" She asked, still to surprised to show any anger.

"I heard the news. And this was the only place I figured you would be. I just asked for a room where a girl would go to isolate herself after a lost and I found you." He grinned. He obviously was proud of himself.

Van sat back down, leaving room for Harry to sit.

"I can't believe Malfoy went that low. I would of at least thought he'd have respect for is cousin." He said.

"No. The 'Malfoy Blood' is more important to him." Van simply answered.

"I hate him." Was the only thing Harry could find to say.

There was a long awkward pause.

"Van. I I came here to talk to you about something" Harry quietly said. "Yesterday, when I was buying my quill I know you'll think I'm crazy, but I'm sure I knew that man. I can't stop thinking about it, no matter how hard I try. I'm sure it was Sirius. And if it wasn't him, there was something about that person that just I have to find out who it was."

"Harry" Van sighed, but inside, her heart was beating at an insane speed. "Sirius is gone"

"No! He's not! That man was him. I'm sure! The way he moved, talked, stuttered!" He said, frustration rising in his voice. "The point is, I want you to help me find out about that arch that Sirius went thorough last year. I would ask Hermione, but she's not here. You're the next 'smart friend' on my list Van." He finished with a little laugh. Van smiled at the compliment.

"I don't know Harry" She said. She really wanted to help him. Plus, the idea of finding out about the arch was intriguing her. But she knew that if they found the information, Harry would find out that Sirius was still alive. She couldn't stand the look on Harry's face, so against her will, she accepted.

"Oh alright Harry. I'll help you." She said.

"Oh thank you Van!" He thanked, getting up. "Now come with me, lets make you eat some breakfast."

Steph was having so much fun testing the twin's experiments that she hadn't realized Ron had left. Fred was demonstrating one of his latest invention; the 'universal candy'.

"You just pop it in your mouth and-" the ate it, "Tu peut parler n'importe quell langue!" He said in french.

"Oooooh!" Steph said. "Et peut tu comprendre d'autre language?" She asked, testing his product.

"Bien sure!" He exclaimed.

"I love this!"

"Were you guys talking about me?" George asked. Steph laughed.

"This is awesome Ron! We could play so many pranks with..." She stopped. 'Ron?"

She looked around her and he was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no..." She said.

Steph ran down the stairs, looking around the house for Ron. He was nowhere to be seen. She ran back up and knocked of is door. No one answered so she walked in.

"Ron?" She called. He was not there.

She went back down and outside.

"Ron!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing there?" She asked.

"I'm feeding Shreya" He simply answered. The coldness in his voice was unavoidable.

"Are Are you OK?"

"Sure I am! Why don't you just go back up with my brothers, they sure look like fun!" He exclaimed, not even trying to hide his anger.

That last sentence hit Steph like a hammer. Ron was jealous. Steph was hanging out more with the twins than with him. She had never thought it would affect him like that. Sure, there was a time when she had a crush on those two, but that was long gone. Ron was the only one on her mind now, and forever.

"Ron! No. Don't... I..." She didn't know what to say.

"There, come back and see me when you find your words." And he left.

Steph never felt more hurt in her life. Her eyes watered and she turned to Shreya.

"Oh girl What am I going to do?" She quietly whispered. Suddenly, she felt like flying. "Lets go out for a fly, shall we?" She asked, looking at the hippogriff. Shreya bowed and let Steph mount.

She didn't know where she was going. She just let Shreya go where she wanted, hoping that she would find her way back to the burrow later. Flying made her feel much better, but Ron's angry face was tattooed in her mind. Never would she have thought him reacting like this. Their relationship was very new and fragile, and she had to go and do something stupid like leaving him behind. Suddenly she didn't feel sad for Ron, but angry with herself. Now she had to prove to Ron that she loved him. But how?

"Whoa!" She screamed.

Shreya had suddenly changed direction and was heading for land quickly. Looking at the sun , she saw that it was way past noon, meaning they must have been flying for hours. The hippogriff landed smoothly and Steph dismounted.

She was in a small clearing. Steph had no idea where they where. She had been so lost in her thought that she hadn't looked the way Shreya had headed. The hippogriff was now laying down, picking at some earth worms. Steph sat down and gave Shreya a pat.

"You're a good girl you" She spoke. She laid her head on the hippogriff and closed her eyes

"Found anything?" Harry asked Van, who's eyes where locked into a think dusty book called '_Government myths_'.

"Nah. Stupid stuff like _'Rumor has it that deep in the ministry; there is a muggle prison. There they use poor captured muggles to test new potions...__' _" Van giggled.

"Right" Harry rolled his eyes and went back to '_Legendary Magical Objects of the World.'_

"How do you think Ron and Steph are doing?" Van suddenly asked.

"Stop trying to sneak in other people's affair again..." Harry laughed.

"Just curious" Van said. There was a pause. "OH! Listen to this!"

"_One of the most common rumors about what happened to criminals before the dementors were domesticated was the Arch of Mysterious Ways. But still today, no one as proof of its real existence." _ Van Stopped.

"Go on!" Harry exclaimed, getting more exited by the second.

"That's it. After that they just talk about the how they think dementors where trained its all bull."

"Bull?"

"Never mind Harry." Van laughed. "I'll give you a lesson on muggle expressions later."

"Anyway, back to this _Arch of Mysterious Ways_; Do you think that may be it? Maybe we should look it up somewhere and see what we can find?" Harry proposed.

"Good idea." Van said, but inside, she new they where getting way to close to the truth...


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

When she felt the cold beak brush against her cheek, Steph woke up as fast as lightning. Night had fallen; Steph could barely make out the hippogriff's silhouette in the dark.

"Oh my god… Shreya! You have to bring me back to the burrow now!" Steph exclaimed.

Shreya cocked her head to the side.

"Oh please be joking! The burrow! You know where that is!" Steph's voice was beginning to shake. An idea suddenly popped in her mind. "Ron! Lets go see Ron!" She said.

The hippogriff made a sort of eagle-ish purr and let Steph mount. I was like someone removed an enormous weight in her heart. _Thank you, thank you, and thank you! _She kept repeating in her mind. Shreya flew confidently forward. At some moments, she hesitated before a turn, but considering the sky was pitch black, Steph understood and trusted her mount fully.

When she saw the light in the Burrow's windows, Steph was so happy that she forgot why she was gone in the first place. Shreya landed and Steph jumped down almost immediately. She gave Shreya a pat and slowly walked up to the Burrow's house. She wondered what time it was, and obviously, who ever was still up was probably worrying sick.

"Stephanie!" Molly exclaimed as Steph walked in. "Arthur, she's here!"

"Good good. I wont have to send a search team to find her then." He replied from the kitchen.

"Where were you! You worried me sick! And Ron was so upset that he stayed locked up in his room all day!" Molly said, giving Steph a full go over to make sure she was all in one piece. _"Or he just didn't care…" _Steph thought, remembering why she left in the first place.

"I just left to exercise Shreya, but when we took a break, I dosed out…" Steph said, trying to smile to reassure Molly.

"I told Ron that he should have gone with you, but he just wouldn't listen… Boys…" And with that she walked back to the kitchen.

Steph made her way upstairs to Ginny's room. She didn't feel like dealing with Ron right now. She walked in slowly and quietly got change. Once she was comfortably wrapped in her blankets, Ginny spoke.

"So. What's up?" She asked.

"Hein? Nothing at all. Everything's fine." Steph answered,

"Ron's been unusually quiet. Normaly I can't get him to shut up."

"We got into an argument. That's all."

After that, Ginny minded her own business and went back to sleep.

The next three days were terrible. Ron kept avoiding Steph and she had to come up with excuses to Molly to why she wasn't with him. Finally, the time to pack up had come and to Steph's guilty amazement, she was glad that day had come…

All he luggage was ready and she was waiting patiently beside Shreya for Ron. The ride back was going to be incredibly awkward, but hopefully they would be able to talk.

"What are you still doing here!" Molly exclaimed, running out of the house. "I thought you where leaving now! Ron left half an hour ago!"

"What!" Steph turned red with anger. "How?"

"Arthur needed to go to Hogwarts for some business. Gave Ron a ride. Didn't he tell you? He told me he didn't feel like flying back." Molly's expression looked terribly confused.

"Yea… He told me, but I didn't take him seriously…" Steph answered. With that, she gave the potion to Shreya, herself and on the luggage.

Van was walking in the corridors of the castle. It was pouring rain out, so outside was not an option. She loved exploring the castle. It was still so new to her, but at the same time, she felt like she had been there forever.

"Ron?" She said, looking at a figure walking towards the grand staircase. "RON!"

It was definitely him. She jogged to catch up.

"Hey! When did you get back?" She asked happily. Ron gave some sort of mumble that sounded like _'not to long ago'_ for an answer.

"Where's Steph?" She asked.

"Not sure." And with that he took a sharp turn to the right towards the Great Hall.

Van stood there and shook her head.

"Alright, that was odd." She said to herself.

"Indeed…" Said a passing ghost, probably clueless to the situation.

Van walked back to the common room, decided in working on her Potion assignment. She had been working for hours, on and off when the common room door opened.

"Steph!" Van exclaimed.

Steph stood in the doorway, drenched to the bone. A puddle of water was forming at her feet. She looked frozen. Her skin was as pale as a ghost's. A mix of expressions covered her face. Anger wasn't the word. Pure hate was the one. Steph simply turned and walked to the dormitory, shoes squeaking on the stone floor.

"Steph?" Van called again. She ran up the stairs to catch up. When she got there, the dormitory was empty, but the door to the bathroom closed shut. Van slowly opened the bathroom door.

"Steph?" She called. No answer. "Well, I'll be in the common room, if you need to talk… Just come and get me…" Van finished.

That time never came. Van was still alone in the dormitory, chewing her sugar quill. Snape's potion assignment wasn't on her mind anymore. The Common room door opened and Ron walked in. When he saw Van looking at him, he stopped.

"What?" He asked, with an annoyed twist to his voice.

"What did you do?" Van asked.

"What did I do?"

"To Steph."

"What did I do to Steph?" He repeated. There was an awkward pause.

"So?" Van asked.

"Nothing." He answered, turning around, heading back out of the common room.

"No." Van said, grabbing his arm. "That's not going to work with me. Steph walked in here, soaked, pale as a ghost –no offence-" She said to a passing ghost. " Point is, she looked terrible. I've never seen her in that state. Even I wasn't even able to talk to her. Quite frankly, it scared me. Now I don't care, don't tell me, but I think you should talk to her." And Van turned around and climbed up the girl's dormitory stairs.

Ron stood there for a sec and let his body fall in a near by sofa.

Sunday morning, the school was buzzing with activity again. All the students where back and ready to start school the next day. The mood between Steph and Ron resembled like the first time they found out they liked each other. Except instead of avoiding each other for the fear of blushing, it was more avoiding each other for the fear of one hitting the other. Steph was mostly locked in her dormitory, Ron in his.

"This is insane…" Hermione said. Van had just finished explaining last day's event to her. "I get back this morning and get this news…"

"I'm not interfering this time. The only thing I did was tell Ron that he should speak to Steph." Van said.

"But for all you know, the problem could be Steph!" Harry said.

"Hein!" Hermione and Van exclaimed at the same time.

"Yes, Steph is in a terrible state. But Ron is obviously very upset. Ether Ron did something that really got to Steph, or… She could of as well started it…"

"Wow… I never thought of that… I assumed it was Ron but… Maybe I should go hear his side of the story…" Van thought out loud.

"You could. But don't play message girl. If they are to fix something, they'll do it themselves." Harry finished. Van and Hermione raised an eyebrow to Harry's strange smartness.

"Ron?" Van called, knocking on the boy's dormitory door.

"Hein?" He answered.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Van asked.

"I told you. It's between Steph and me. Just leave it alright." He said, annoyed.

"I want to hear your side of the story. Har- I just realized that maybe Steph is wrong and she maybe is the one needing to apologize. I always assumed that it was you, but... yea. I don't want to play message girl, I promise, I just want to hear, for my own conscience…"

The dormitory door slowly opened.

"If I tell you what I think, you wont turn around and tell Steph?" Ron looked at Van with a skeptical expression.

"Well… I wont TELL her… But I can maybe help with the problem…" She said with an embarrassed smile.

"See, that's what I don't want you to do." Ron said, closing the door. Van stuck her foot between the door and the door frame.

"OK, OK, fine, I wont say a word, not one. I'm ready to… to do the unbreakable vow if you want me to."

"I don't think we need to go that far," He said. "I trust you, and I don't even know why… Just come in, there's no one in here anyway."

Van walked in the guys' dormitory and laughed. This was no doubt inhabited by guys. There were more clothes on the floor than in the drawers themselves. Ron sat on his bed, and pushed a pile of clothing (clean or dirty, god knows) to the side to make room for Van to sit.

"So here's what happened. We get to our place, and everything's great. Then Steph meets Fred and George-"

"Oh god…" Van interrupted.

"What?"

"I think I know were this is going already."

"Well, the two kept embarrassing me. Steph kept hanging out more with them than me! That week was supposed to be me and her…"

"Alone?" Van smirked.

"Shut up!" He blushed. "I just wanted to spend time with her, but then she goes and ruins it. Its like she likes them more than she loves me…"

Van giggled.

"That, my friend, is a sheer case of jealousy."

"Well, what do you expect!"

"You could of prevented this."

"And how? I could hardly get her alone."

"So. You should of talked to her. Get her alone. Tell her what you thought."

"She would of laughed at me."

"Well, then that's your problem if you were a chicken." Van finished.

"So you're saying that it's my fault?" Ron grew angry again.

"No, Steph's wrong to have… 'ditched' you like that. But you're also wrong to have not done anything about it."

"I guess…"

"But now, what I want to know is this: Your mad at Steph, and she should be the one trying to apologize. But why is she mad at YOU?" Van asked. Ron didn't answer; he simply looked at the floor. "So?"

"Well… I… I was so mad… I kind of left for the castle on my own with my dad. The weather was pretty bad that day and I left her to fly back to the castle on her own…" Ron's voice was becoming quieter and quieter. He slowly realized that was he did was equally as bad, if not worst.

"There you go. And now you don't want to go and apologize because you're mad at her. She doesn't want to apologize to you because she's mad and doesn't know what she did wrong."

"I feel bad now… maybe I should go and talk to her…"

"I'll leave that to you." Van said with a smile. She got up and made her way towards the door.

"Thanks." Ron said before she left.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Steph made her way down to the common room. Everyone was out for dinner in the great hall, so the school was pretty much deserted. She made her way down to the elf kitchen, where she could go eat in peace. She looked outside as she passed one of the castle's big windows. The rain had finally stopped, giving place to a thin layer of fog over the Hogwart ground. She promised herself to go out and see Shreya after dinner.

Steph tried to remember the way to the Elf Kitchen. _"In the corridor close to the dungeon, there's a painting of a fruit bowl. I just have to tickle the...__ the pear. Right."_ She thought.

"Hi there. Mischief on your mind?" Cracked a voice behind her.

"Well hello Peeves. Nah, I'm not getting in any trouble today. What about you?" Steph asked. Peeves was obviously taken aback by the unnatural friendliness.

"Any idea?" He asked.

"Well, you could throw ink bottles at me. But, you realize that were by the dungeon, and you know who's in there"

"The Bloody Barron..." Peeves' voice shook.

"But here's a pack of gum, you go and put some on a teacher's chair ok?" Steph offered.

"I believe we're going to become good friends little one." He said, is voice cracking with happiness as he took the gums.

"Have fun now!"

"Oh I will!" And he left, his laugh echoing against to school's stone walls.

After having eaten, Steph made her way outside as she promised herself. The air was cool, but comfortable. She made her way to Hagrid's garden shed to get Shreya a treat. Waving the dead ferret, she whistled loudly, then waited for Shreya to come. Minutes went by, and still, no sing of a hippogriff. Steph whistled again, with no success.

"Shreya?" Steph called. No answer. She began to worry, never had Shreya refused to come. Something was wrong.

Steph made her way to the forest. She knew better than to venture in there alone, but worry got the best of her.

"Shreya?" Steph called again. As she walked forward, the woods were getting darker. "Lumos!" She exclaimed, and her wand lit up. Steph scanned the forest, which wasn't so clear because the invading fog. A cracking branch made Steph stop walking. She listened closely and everything was quiet. She took a few more steps;

"_CRACK!"_

There it was again. Steph began to shake. How dumb she had been to enter the woods alone without Shreya.

"Hello?" She called. Her voice shook, and she couldn't help but beginning to cry.

"Steph!" Ron exclaimed.

"Ron!"

His figure appeared in front of her. Without thinking she jumped in his arms.

"Oh Ron, I'm so scared, I thought I was going to get eaten and Shreya's not answering and What are you doing here?!" She exclaimed, letting go of Ron.

"I saw you head out, and I wanted to talk to you. I got outside and you weren't there anymore. Then I heard you call Shreya, so I ran in to get you I was scared that you'd get lost or eaten for that matter" He answered. Steph stayed silent, so did Ron. Then finally, in what seamed like an eternity.

"Thanks..." Steph simply said.

"Look, Steph" Ron started.

"What."

"I just have to tell you, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have 'ditched' you like that. I love you. When you kept hanging out with Fred and-"

"You thought I loved them more that you?" Her eyes widened. "Oh Ron I'm very sorry. I didn't realize..."

Both looked at each other for a minute and then Steph jumped in Ron's arms.

"Lets not fight again, its scary." She said in a half laugh half sob. Ron kissed her.

"Promise" He simply said. The bush ruffled and Shreya appeared, walking backwards, dragging something apparently very heavy.

"Oh god, what did you catch now" Steph said, leaning her head to the side to see.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Ron screamed in horror and hid behind Steph, who burst laughing.

"I didn't know you had a thing for bugs!" She exclaimed.

Shreya was now standing in front of them and at her feet, one of Aragog's son... or daughter.

"Well, you've found her. Lets go." Ron said, without even waiting for a reply.

On the way home, Ron and Steph chatted happily. They were both so happy to be reunited. The walk to the castle was probably one of Steph's happiest moments ever.

"So, you talked with Van right?" She asked Ron.

"No. Well, yea. Maybe... Why do you ask?" He asked in return.

"Because you said the word 'ditch' earlier. You never say that word."

"Well... She's the one who made me realize that it was my fault, not your."

"I shouldn't of left you. It was equally my fault as much as yours."

"But I shou- you know what, lets just forget about it." He finished, putting his arm around her waist. "We're together now, and that's what matters."

The rest of March went by uneventfully. Ron and Steph were happy, Harry and Van were no closer in finding any information about the _Arch of Mysterious Ways_ and Hermione was just to caught up in her homework.

"Maybe if we can get into the restricted section of the library, we'll have more luck?" Harry said.

"Your the 'breaking-the-law-genius' here. You find a way then." Van said.

"Does Invisibility Cloak sound good?" He proposed. Van smiled.

"Right behind ya." Van looked at her agenda. "Oh! Tomorrow we're Friday, April 1rst. The Twin's birthday!"

"Remind me to remind Ron. We have to do something, a major prank." Harry said.

"Yes, I'm sure Ron would love to get back at his brothers!"

"For what?" Harry asked.

"Never mind" Van blushed. "Just go get you Cloak."

"OK then." Harry said with a raised eyebrow.

Van and Harry made there way down to the library and into the restricted section. The walls were covered with dusty books with scary and mysterious tittles.

"What about '_The book of lost magical objects_'?" Van said, picking up a brown, yellow-paged book.

"Sound fine. I'll look thorough '_101 enchanted things_'" Harry added, fiddling thorough a green dragon-skinned book.

Things were quiet for a while. Harry or Van would change book at random times. Sometime, a ghost would walk by and wave. Finally;

"Van! Listen:

'_The Arch of mysterious Ways grabbed the curiosity of many Witches and Wizards. Only Harlford Quickatfindingstuff, a german, well known archeologist, found the answer that puzzled thousands._

_By tying a rope around a rat and making it pass thorough the veil, and then pulling on the rat and getting it back, he discovered something incredible. The rat had come back, only to have dragged with it, one of the many Askaban prisoners to have been condemned to the Arch of Mysterious Ways._

_Ill Killyou, the now famous Askaban prisoner, describes what he saw._

"_Everything is dark and blurry. You sometime see other people, but you can't talk to them. You just can't talk at all. Your never hungry, you never need to go to the bathroom. You're condemned of living in solitude forever. I've been in that place for 50 years apparently, and I'm 33. So time stops also.'_

You know what this means! Sirius it still alive! I was right, its him that I saw, and he found a way to get out! I knew it! Van?"

Van was frozen to place. Harry was not supposed to know. Now he knew. She needed to find a way to prove that article wrong.

"Give me that!" Van said. She grabbed the book and looked at it. As Harry bent down to put a couple of book back in they're proper spot, Van took her wand and murmured _Typotalkus._

"Oh Harry, look;

'_Of couse, Quickatfindingstuff was proved crazy and wrong when reasearcher Mickel Itoldyouso did the same experiment with no results, just a dead rat. He then took a blood sample from Ill Killyou, only to prove that the man was only a very look-alike of the real Mr. Killyou. Harlford was later arrested, and diagnosed with a severe case of Attention Craving Problem. Commonly called ACP.'_

Then it goes on about the disease, why he had it and the means to cure it. I'm sorry Harry..." Van finished. She felt guilty for lying to Harry, but she had to, for his own, and Sirius' sake.

"Your lying!" Harry exclaimed in anger. He took back the book and read. "You right, it is there..."

"Lets go back Harry, there's nothing more to find here"

Harry fallowed her, but took one last suspicious look at the book.

"What the? AAAAAAAAAAAAARRG!" A scream woke up the whole common room the next Friday morning. Van ran down her dormitory stairs, still in her night robes and morning hair. Steph fallowed, laughing to the point of no return. Half the guys ran out of they're common room, curious to where the scream came from.

"What happened?" A half asleep Ron asked.

"I-She-Tiger-" Steph was in no state of answering anything. At this exact moment, a huge Bengal tiger ran down the stair and as it was just about to pounce on a once again screaming Van, it exploded;

'_Happy April Fools!_

_From Steph'_

Wrote hundreds of little purple sparkles. Steph was holding herself on Ron not to fall, tears trickling down her face.

"I'm going to KILL YOU!" Exploded Van. Steph screamed and ran to the safety of the girl's dormitory, holding her stomach from laughing to much. After tripping a few times up the stairs, she safely locked herself up in a bathroom stall in the dormitory.

"I have to call Fred and George and tell them how much I love them" Said a wide eyed Ron before bursting in uncontrolled laughter as Van came back down the stairs, her wand at the ready in case Steph would come back down. Van sat in a chair facing the stairs, waiting for Steph.

"Wha-"

"JELLY LEGS!" Van screamed on impulse. Hermione came crashing down the stair on a pair of useless jelly legs. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I thought you were Steph!"

The rest of the common room was plunged once again in a wave of laughter. Steph took the opportunity to slither down and hide behind Ron.

"I love magic" She said.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"So, what do I do now?" Steph asked Ron as they walked quietly in the school's hallways.

"What do you mean?" He asked in return.

"Class starts in about half an hour, I don't have my stuff, and I can't go in the common room to get them."

"I'll go for you." He simply proposed.

"Note I'm still in my night downs!" Steph exclaimed.

"Oh Wait, I'll go get Harry's cloak. I'm sure he wont mind, considering the circumstances..." He let out a little laugh.

Steph hid behind a bookshelf in a near by room while Ron left to get the cloak. Meanwhile, Van was still sitting at the exact spot, waiting for Steph to come down. She turned around as Ron walked in the common room.

"Where did you go?" Van asked.

"For a walk. Why do you ask? I was hungry. I'm back for my school supply." He answered.

"Oh, right! Shoot! Class starts in less than 20 minutes! Well you know what, if Steph is not coming down to go to class, I'm not going to class." Van decided.

"Suite yourself." Ron say, suppressing a grin as he walked up the guys dormitory stairs.

Charm class was going quite smoothly that morning. Until Steph had mastered the disappearing charm to much. She got herself in trouble for making a student disappear. Professor Flitwick had no doubt been incredibly impressed; after all, human disappearing charms were only studied in post wizarding school studies. But Steph still had to go and find the student. It had been easy, Harry had handed her the Marauders map, only to show that Neville had ended up in the teacher's laundry room.

"Steph! Hide!" Ron whispered as the classroom door opened. Van walked in and sat beside Ron, in the chair that Steph had been sitting seconds ago.

"I'm going to get her, mark my words." She mumbled, taking out her stuff.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, in outmost innocence.

"So, I'm waiting for Steph, and guess what! She wasn't even in the dormitory! I swear- Is that Steph's quill? And notes?" Van realized. She had been sitting at Steph's spot the whole time, no clicking that her stuff was all over the desk. Steph couldn't take it anymore at burst in uncontrolled giggle. Van jumped and looked under the table. Steph was curled in a ball at Van's feet.

"You're SO d-"

"Aah! Miss Savard! You made it. I'm glad your feeling better. Steph told me that your transfiguration homework didn't go to well and you ended up with an uncontrolled case of explosive..." No matter how professional he wanted to be, Flitwick couldn't help but grin at the last part. Van turned around in shock and looked at Steph, who had regained her spot and was happily waiving back at her. Van mouthed the word _'you are dead'_ and took a seat beside Harry and Hermione, who themselves were lost in quiet laughter.

Potion was rather uneventful. Steph kept a clear distance between herself and Van, same with herbologie. Study of magical creature is when Van got her chance.

"Alright lads. Today wer' goin'to study the forest dragon'" Hagrid started. When all the students simultaneously backed off, Hagrid added, "Not ta worry. Ter no bigger than'a cat!"

A few students let out a rather loud sigh of relief.

"I do say yeh should put'on some dragon skin gloves, coat and goggles. They do still breath fire." Hagrid added with a bit to much enthusiasm.

"Where did you get them?" Hermione asked.

"Never you mind that" Hagrid simply said. "Now, y'all fallow me. The Dragons are in here."

"The forest!" Seamus exclaimed.

"Nah, I ain't goin' in ther with ya lads this time."

The class fallowed Hagrid to the edge of the forest, were laid a number of crates.

"They came in with wood crates. I dunno wat went thorough the delivery man's head" Hagrid said to the class. "Good thing they can't fly, I would'a had a mighty big problem!" he added.

"And who exactly is the distributor?" Asked Ron. Hagrid blushed.

"Not ya brother that's for sure." He answered. "Now ya'll pick a crate and open it. Note the metal chain stickin' out'a crate. Take a good hold'of it before ya'll open the crates. It's the dragon's leash."

"Brilliant" Harry said. "Well be walking a dragon this year" Some students who over heard laughed.

"Here's a sheet of fire proof paper, ya'll know the drill!" Hagrid finished.

"I don't feel safe with all the fire proof stuff Hagrid's giving us..." Steph remarked.

"I don't feel safe around Hagrid at all." Said Ron, kicking the crate who shook violently. "You open it." He added, backing of.

"You pussy." Steph said, lowering herself to grab the chain.

"What?" Ron asked blushing, taking the word literally.

"Oh god Ron... Back up, I'm opening it." And she yanked on the door. Looking around, she was the only one so far that had had the guts to do it.

A little brown dragon ran out until it reached the end of the chain which yanked it backwards. It looked more lizard like than dragonish, until it turned around to face Steph and stood up on its hind legs to intimidate her.

"Bloody hell." Ron said. "We're supposed to get close to that? On the sheet it asks us to log the jaw width!"

"Lets just grab it by the neck?" Steph proposed.

"You go for it." Ron said, backing off once more.

"Here's my chance!" Van said to Hermione. "I could just scare her by making the dragon bigger a bit as she comes to touch it!"

"I don't think that's a real good idea Van..." Hermione warned.

"No danger, I know what I'm doing. I read it in a book not long ago, very simple."

"OK Ron, here I go. Get ready with the tape!" Steph said as she got herself ready to jump on the dragon. Ron simply whimpered. "One, two, three!"

"_Engorgio_!" Van said, pointing her wand at the little dragon. The effect was spontaneous. The dragon doubled, tripled and just kept growing.

"No! Stop!" Van screamed, pointing her wand at the dragon that had now reached Steph's size. Ron ran forward to grab Steph, who was frozen in place. He soon froze when the dragon was the size of a large horse. Finally, it reached the size of an Hungarian Horntail and stopped growing.

"STEPH! Get out of there!" Ron screamed in panic. She just took a step back, to scared to move. The dragon looked down at her and filled his lungs.

"STEPH!" Ron screamed once more. Loosing it, he ran forward and grabbed her at the exact moment the dragon exhaled a breath of flames.

"_AQUAERUPTO_!" Ron screamed on impulse, pointing his wand at the flames. An incredible amount of water escaped his wand. The flame didn't fully vanish, but didn't reach the two. Slowly, the flames gained ground. Luckily, the dragon ran out of breath before the fire could reach Ron and Steph but under the intense heat, both of them fainted.

"Vanessa, I need to have a word with you." Said a calm, yet serious voice. Professor Dumbledor stood at the hospital wing doorway. He peered at Van who was sitting between Ron and Steph's bed. She slowly got up and walked towards him, looking at the floor.

"You know your going to have to explain the events to me right?" He calmly said.

"Yes Professor." Van shyly answered.

"First off, why did you endanger Mr. Weasley and Miss. Gagnon?" He asked walking down he hall away from the infirmary.

"I I was stupid. Steph kept tricking me all day, embarrassing me good. I wanted to get her back by making the little dragon a bit bigger, just a bit..." She trailed off.

"I'm sorry Vanessa."

"I kn- What?" She asked, taken aback.

"The day those stones exploded in both of yours hand, I knew I was in for something big. I didn't warn you girls to be careful, and here's the result."

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand." Van said, getting more and more nervous.

"Since you both learned about magic, you two longed to be able to do some. Only did you not know you could. All those years, the power was kept inside of you both, getting stronger and stronger with time. Like a particularly good bottle of wine that you keep for a long time. Gets better and better every year! But now, I'm not giving you a lesson on wine making, but on magic doing. It was silly to leave you girls run about with that explosive stored in you. Very simple spells will turn into catastrophe." He finished, looking down at Van.

"Yea..." She admitted.

"I decided to personally give you and Stephanie private magic control lessons until it is safely manageable."

"Oh, professor! I I thought I was being expelled! I don't know what to say"

"A simple thank you would be enough and maybe a chocolate frog" Dumbledor said with a wink. "Now, your friends are only suffering from minor burns. The severe heat mostly did the damage. Ronald conjured a pretty impressive Aqua spell. They will fully recover soon."

"Thank you so much professor." was the only thing Van could find to say.

"Now you go back to your common room and get some rest." Dumbledor ordered.

"Yes sir, and thanks again." She said, before running of to the Griffondor common room.

On her way, she bumped into a very angry looking Harry.

"Severe Attention Craving Problem?!" He exclaimed, waving '_Mysteries in Magic_', the book in which they had found the answer to the arch the day before. "Funny enough, it doesn't talk about it today. What is this, a book who changes story once in a while!?" Van Blushed.

"Its possible, we are in a magic world..." She answered.

"Oh, stop it Van! I know you've done it! Why are you trying to set me on the wrong path! I thought you were supposed to help me!"

"I Do! I just don't want you to get hurt!"

"HOW!"

"I say!" Said a near by insulted painting as Harry's voice echoed in the whole hall. He blushed and continued with a lower voice.

"What is there to hide Vanessa, What?"

"I don't know what to say anymore, I try and I try, but it's getting to hard!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"Miss. Vanessa! Thank goodness, I forgot to mention something. Can I" Dumbledor asked, looking at Harry, who shrugged. "Thank you."

Van and the headmaster walked to an empty classroom.

"I was looking thorough the black book just now to further reasearch and couldn't help but see that Harry was giving you trouble" Dumbledor started. "You did a good job keeping it a secret, but it's straining you. I will take it from here."

"What? What are you going to do? Tell Harry? Si- He doesn't want him to know!"

"I will have a word with Sirius."

Van looked back at the door alarmingly.

"Not to worry, I made it unplotable on my way in." He added, knowing what Van was thinking.

"But sir, Sirius told me that he didn't want Harry to know, that it would cause to many problems"

"I understand, but I know what I'm doing. Now you go back to your common room. If Harry try to go back on the subject, tell him that your to shaken to talk, I've lost the connection with your time line, and cant contact your parents anymore."

"Yes sir." And Van left the room in a hurry.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Ouch!" Ron exclaimed as the school nurse, Mme. Pomfrey, applied a healing potion on his arm.

"Oh settle down you!" She said, yanking back the arm towards her.

Steph was sitting in her infirmary bed, a pile of pillows supporting her back. They had been in a coma for two days. Steph, waking up a couple of hours before Ron, had been reading the Daily Prophet.

"Listen to this Ron;

_**Man transfigures into ministry official**_

_After the resent robbery, we had reason to not feel safe. But to think they would use it so soon!_

_Just yesterday night, as our own Mr. Fudge was getting ready to leave his office, one of his "trusty" employee entered with important, secret news. Fudge ordered the guard to leave the room for this. With this chance the "employee" we now unmasked as Hisdele Minart, a suspected Death Eater for years, pulled out her wand and threatened Mr. Fudge into giving her something the ministry will not disclose. Mr. Fudge called for help, and two of his standby Aurors jumped to the rescue._

_Luckily, our Prime Minister suffered no injury, and Mrs. Minart is now behind bars in Askaban. (For a summary of the court's sentences, turn to page 7)_

What do you think they wanted?" Finished Steph.

"I Don't know-OUCH!-but I reckon it must not be good." Ron answered.

"Good thinking, I'm sure the ministry didn't know that" The nurse said, putting a cap on the potion bottle and leaving. Steph chuckled.

"Wonder if Harry read this yet." She said.

"Probably, Hermione get the paper all the time. The first thing she'd do would be showing Harry. Odds are the three will be running here-"

"YOU GUYS!" Harry exclaimed, running into the room fallowed by Van and Hermione.

Steph flashed the newspaper, showing them that she knew already.

"Oh..." Harry said, disappointed, obviously he had been exited in telling the news.

"Any ideas?" Van asked.

"We'll, Ron just had the brilliant idea that maybe someone was up to no good." Steph said with a little laugh.

"Shut up!" Ron exclaimed, throwing her a pillow. The others laughed.

"I don't have any idea what it is, but I'm sure they will try again after this." Hermione said.

"The Aurors must be going mental" Harry added.

"For sure. I wouldn't want to be your dad right now, Ron. Imagine going to work. They probably making all the workers try one of they're "tests" from the last article" Van said.

"Blimey! Imagine my dad turning up at home green forever" Ron thought. "Mom would go nuts!"

"Very fancy, with the orange hair" Van pointed out. There was a silence, fallowed with uncontrolled laughter.

"QUIET! All of you! They've had it for today. Shoo! Shoo shoo shoo!" The nurse angrily exclaimed, waving an old cleaning rag at them. The three ran out in a hurry, and Steph made an attempt to leave with them.

"GAGNON! You stay here for another night. You never know when those burns may infect!" Mme. Pomfrey barked.

"Its all magic here, can you make them disappear?!" Steph complained.

"Its dragon fire, not any ordinary burn mind you. Your lucky you're alive at all!"

"Thanks Won, you saved me from the evil dwagon with the scawy Aqua spell, how can I ever wepay you?" Steph mocked, making the nurse leave in fury. '_mocking me are they___' she mumbled. Ron laughed.

The two soon regretted this, as Mme. Pomfrey came later that evening with another potion.

"Eeeww! What in the world!" Steph grimaced.

"Are you trying to poison us!" Ron exclaimed, throwing the half full glass across the room.

"I just though you two looked particularly pale today." The nurse said, leaving them with a grin on her face. Ron was whipping his tongue on his blanket, trying to get the taste out of his mouth. Steph, on the other end, spat continually in the glass.

"Its Bongtron Pus, very rich in vitamines." Mme. Pomfrey said over her shoulder. This last comment made Steph and Ron gag.

"PUS!" Ron shouted at her. She simply could be heard laughing in her office.

The rest of April went by fast. The amount of homework was increasing alarmingly because of the upcoming exams, and Snape proved himself even less tolerable than usual.

He had given Ron two weeks detention, in which Ron had to go in every two day to scrub all the cauldron in the class room (Even the ones that were still clean from the previous scrubbing) because he had giggled at the word "Hangingthingy", which was a very rare potion ingredient. On Earth Day, Steph had forced Van, Ron, Harry and Hermione to go out and clean the whole school yard as a part of celebrating the day, which has proven itself hard since Shreya kept running around and playing "catch me if you can" with a mouth full of litter stolen from the garbage bin.

Something interesting happened on the second week of may, which gave the whole gang quite a fright.

_Watch out for the suspicious___

Read a little piece of parchment Van had received by an unknown Owl.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked the lot.

"It looks like a warning" Hermione pointed out.

"From who?" Ron said, looking around in fright.

"Don't be silly Ron, it wouldn't come from here. At least, I wouldn't think so" Steph said, looking around instinctively. Harry, who hadn't spoken, looked at the little note with an emotionless face. Finally, he spoke.

"We don't know who its from. As much as it could be a helpful warning from someone, it could be a trap" He muttered. The four looked at him curiously. "Hermione, burn that. We never got it." He finished.

"But what if its really trying to help us?" She exclaimed.

"Well, whoever would have been kind enough to leave there name." He simply said. "Lets go, we've got care of magical creature in ten minutes." And he got up before Hermione could reply.

The next day, the owl they got was more exiting. Steph hurriedly ran down the stairs to show Van.

"Look! I got a lesson with Dumbledor!" She said with a grin, jumping on the spot.

"Me to!" She froze when she looked at Steph's. "We're not the same day!"

"What?"

"I'm going tonight, your tomorrow"

"Awww, I wanted to go to that together. Why would Dumbledor want to teach us on a different day?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Maybe he wants to show us different things"

"Maybe..."

Van stayed in the common room all day, nervous for the upcoming lesson. Steph went out for a ride on Shreya and Ron, Harry and Hermione all went to work on an Potion's essay due the fallowing Monday. Everything was quiet in the common room until;

_Tic tic tic___

Van looked around. An owl was perched outside the window, knocking to come inside. She opened the window and settled back in her seat, grabbing her book to keep reading. It took her several minutes to realize that the owl was perched on the coffee table in front of her, looking intensively at her.

"I don't have anything for you hun, you'll have to wait until your owner gets here or something." And she went back to her book. A sudden painful pinch got to her foot and she looked down. The owl was still looking at her, handing out his leg.

"Its for me?" She asked. The owl let out a soft '_thank god!_' hoot and jumped on her lap. Van untied the little roll and opened it.

_Beware of who you think are your friends_

Van had to re-read it a couple of times for it to sink in. She ran up to her dormitory and opened her drawer. She pulled out an little box where all her letters were kept and took out the other recent note she had had and looked at them both. "Watch out for the suspicious" and "Beware of who you think are your friends" were written in the same ink, and same handwriting. Someone was sending her warnings, or threats She put the two notes back in the little box and back in her desk. She sat there for a while and thought of who could be sending her this. Finally, she decided not to tell the others about this one; beside, they were sent to her. She looked at the time; still 4 hours to loose before seeing Dumbledor. Van looked out the window and saw Steph taking off Shreya's flying collar and decided to go and see her.

"Hi Van!" Said Steph, grooming Shreya's glossy coat. Van came closer and started straightening some of the Hippogriff's feathers.

"Hi..." She said.

"What's up?" Steph asked, noticing Van's lack of enthusiasm.

"Oh, nothin. Just nervous I guess..."

The two worked in silence for a while. Shreya was enjoying all the sudden attention, stretching her neck and closing her eyes. An ear piercing screech suddenly cut the air.

"What in the world!" Steph exclaimed. Shreya opened her wings excitedly and knocked Steph off her feet, calling back. Steph looked at the woods in the direction Shreya was looking. Van had moved to Steph's side, also looking deep between the trees.

A beautiful Hippogriff Stallion came prancing out of the woods. His jet-black coat gleamed under the spring sun. His feathers reflected the sun in a deep purple color as he edged closer. He was just magnificent. Shreya shook excitedly and broke into a trot towards the stallion.

"Shreya" Steph said with a smile as both Hippogriffs groomed each other in a friendly matter. "She made herself a boyfriend"

"I wouldn't get close to this bloke though" Van said. She was right. Since he had left the trees, the stallion hadn't let go of the two girls with his eyes. He looked at them warily.

The two left to the school, leaving the to lovers alone. When they entered the main entrance, Van left Steph for her lesson with Dumbledor.

"Enter!" Said a joyful voice on the other side of the door. Van opened the door and walked into Dumbledor's office.

"I'm here for my lesson." Said Van.

"I know." Replied Dumbledor, amused. There was a rather awkward silence and Van just sat down in the chair facing Dumbledor's desk. Five minutes must of went by when Van spoke again. "So When are we going to start?" Se asked shyly.

"Well, I was waiting for you to tell me that." Dumbledor said, that amused grin still on his face. "What do you want to learn?"

"I euh Manage my powers properly?" She asked.

"Yes. That would be a good start I find How should I teach you that?" He asked to her.

"Euh Well You ARE the teacher" She said, nervous that her comment might have been a tad rude.

"You are right on that Vanessa. But how would you like to learn?" He asked once more. Van's mouth was dry. She had no clue what Dumbledor wanted. The fact that he kept looking at her with a grin bugged her more than anything. She felt downright stupid.

"I could practice." She came up with.

"Ok, sounds like a plan, go right ahead." He replied, sitting back.

"I don't know how. You have to teach me." Van's ears were reddening. The fact that Dumbledor played with her like that irritated her more and more.

"Well, practice is repetition. You have to do whatever your learning over and over until you master it." He said.

"But what am I supposed to learn?" She asked, thorough closed teeth.

"Manage your powers properly, you told me earlier I thought." Dumbledor reminded her.

"Yes, and how to I do that?"

"Practice."

At this point, she just wanted to light Dumbledor's beard on fire. To her surprise, that's exactly what happened.

"PROFESOR! _AQUA!_" She exclaimed, wanting to send a light jet of water, but sending a whole river to flow right in Dumbledor's face. Van just stood there, panic stricken. To her surprise, Dumbledor chuckled.

"That's exactly what you need to work on." He said, shaking the water off his hat. "Hope you learned anything, see you same time next week!" He finished with a smile, the door opening. Van looked over her shoulder unsure if she was missing something. Dumbledor was looking back at her, wrinkled forming at the corner of his eyes as he smiled.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Back already?" Steph asked, looking at her watch. Van had been gone merely forty-five minutes. Van sat down beside Steph, gazing in the fire.

"This Headmaster is a weirdo. Completely loosing it..." She mumbled

"What happened?"

"He…" She paused, thinking how to phrase it. "He made me light his beard on fire…"

"He WHAT?" Steph exclaimed, not able to stop herself from laughing.

"Yeah…" Van simply responded. Then she added, "I was supposed to have learned the key problem during that lesson. I have no idea."

"Well… I just can't wait for my lesson then!" Steph laughed.

The next day Steph's turn came to go to Dumbledore's office.

"Enter!" He said, as she knocked on the door.

"Hi Professor, am I late?" She asked, seeing that Dumbledore looked rather bored, as if he had been sitting in that chair doing nothing all his life.

"No no, right on time. I might add, a little early." He said. "Now, could you grab that chair with a flick of your wand and bring it in front of the desk for yourself to sit on?"

"No problem Professor!" And with that, Steph pulled out her wand and cast the spell. "_Accio Chair_!"

Confident, she flicked her wand. To her horror and surprised, the chair flew violently across the room, missed Dumbledore's head by inches, and crashed out the window.

"Oh my god professor I'm-" Steph begun.

"No worry, no worry!" Dumbledore interrupted, casting another chair out of thin air and signaling her to sit. Steph did so on shaky legs. She had never felt so humiliated. "What happened?" He finished.

"I… I don't know! I knew what I was doing! I knew I could do it! I didn't ask for to much. It's simple! Accio! It's so easy. I… What?" She stopped. Dumbledore was grinning, his elbows on the desk, his fingertips touching before his nose.

"Then, if you we so confident, why did it go wrong. You certainly didn't have to impress anyone? Its just a simple spell and a crazy old headmaster!"

"I…heu…"

"Very well. That should do for today. Come back when you know your ready." He simply finished.

"Sir?" Steph asked, before getting up.

"Yes?"

"It's kind of a test right? You won't help us at all. Just guide us. Right?"

Dumbledore didn't answer, merely winked before getting up. "You two are very wise. I'm not at all worried. Especially when heads come together, lots of things can be conjured up quickly." He added, before leaving his office himself, leaving Steph alone in the dim light to think over what he just said.

"So!?" Van asked, as Steph walked in the common room with her eyebrows stuck in the dumbfounded position.

"Well, I didn't light his beard on fire." She replied.

"That's a better that's than me."

"I just almost knocked him out as my chair flew out the window."

"Oh…"

There was a silence, and then both girls started laughing. They hadn't laughed like this in forever. Van went to grab her stomach when she dropped something. A small piece of parchment. Steph hiccupped a last laugh before picking it up. It said _It's getting closer now _in fine slated handwriting.

"What is this?" Steph asked.

"Nothing!" Van exclaimed, snatching the little paper out of Steph's hand.

"Is it another one of those warnings!"

"I… No! Its…" Van sighed, "Yeah…"

"You've got to be careful Van. How many more have you gotten?"

Van thought about it. She didn't want to lie to her best friend, but also, didn't want to cause a burst of panic when things were just going so well.

"None… That's the first one since. I got that while you were with Dumbledore." She answered.

"Why are they directed at you?" Steph asked.

"I don't know. And like you said, we should not be paying attention to them." And against her will, she scrunched it up in a little ball and threw it in the fire place. She made herself a mental note to re-scribble it somewhere, wanting to keep them all in case they became useful clues to something one day.

"Good…"Steph said. "Now. Euh… Dumbledore kinda clued me in that we were going to figure this out on our own, our magic problem, and that together, we had a better chance." Steph added, alarmingly changing the theme of the talk.

"Did he? How are we supposed to figure it this out?" Van asked, impatiently. The little dust ball she had been practicing _wingardium leviosa _with burst into flames.

"I don't know. I think we ought to describe to each other exactly what happened in our session, and see if we can tell each other stuff we missed." Steph suggested.

"Sounds good." Van agreed before getting into a long, detailed tale of her session. How she had arrived, how Dumbledore and gotten on her nerve, how she had pictured his beard on fire, how it lit, how she panicked and over did it. Steph fallowed, saying how Dumbledore had greeted her kindly, asked her to pull herself a chair, almost knocked out the professor, and left.

"So?" Van asked. "Any mysterious codes?"

"No." Steph started, "But man, you need to pipe down. Control you emotions a bit. I mean, your always over reacting."

"What do you mean 'control my emotions'!" Van exclaimed, standing up. "I can perfectly well control my emotions!"

"Well obviously not! The dragon, the fire, the water, charm class! You keep over reaction on everything!" Steph got up too.

"Well, look whose talking miss I-need-to-impress-everyone!" Van couldn't resist. Steph pulled her wand out, pointing it at Van. Van did the same, sending sparks out of her wand.

"I need to impress hein? I need to impress!" Steph angrily exclaimed. "How could you!"

Then both girls fell silent.

"That's it isn't it?" Van said, sitting back down. She added with a nervous, embarrassed laugh, "Its been obvious all along."

"We're the ones causing it. Your to emotional, I'm too… cocky…" Steph added, with a shy laugh. There was another silence.

"I'm sorry about… you know, calling you all that…" Van said. Her wand suddenly felt light and friendly in her hand, she looked at it curiously.

"Its ok, I wasn't all that nice ether…" She added. Looking around, she saw a glass of water sitting alone on a table. "_Accio water glass_." She summoned. The glass flew gracefully into her hands.

"I guess we've figured it then? Now the need to… practice." Van continued.

"Its easy for me. I just have to stop thinking about what others think. But you, you need to be pissed so you can learn control." Steph laughed.

"Or scared, or nervous, or happy… Comes back to the same thing."

"Shall we sleep on that?: Steph asked.

"Yeah, good idea."

Both girls made their way up. Steph slid in her pajamas and jumped in bed. Van opened her drawer and pulled out her letter box. On the back of the piece saying '_watch out for the suspicious_' she quickly scribbled '_it's getting closer_' before herself going to sleep.


End file.
